People with sensory loss in Wales find it difficult to access the health services they need, and do not always receive the standard of care they should expect, because of a lack of understanding and knowledge amongst health care providers.
This is the conclusion of a steering group established by the Welsh Government to examine the experiences of people who are blind, visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing in accessing health services.
One in five people in Wales have some form of sensory loss, and are significant users of health care services: not only ophthalmic and audiology services, but the full spectrum of health services that people may need to use throughout their lives.
Over the past two years, a steering group of health professionals and service users has been exploring and developing recommendations on how to improve the experience of this growing patient group. These recommendations are being officially launched on Monday 9 January by Lesley Griffiths AM, Minister for Health and Social Services.
To download a copy of the report in Welsh or English,
please go to our publications page.