A joint press release from three organisations supporting blind and partially sighted people: The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), Blackpool based, Vision North West and Preston based Galloway's Society for the Blind:
Information
Blind and partially sighted patients from across Lancashire are being treated differently than other patients by routinely having their safety, confidentiality and choices compromised because the NHS is falling to provide them with information they can read.
95 per cent of blind and partially sighted people are never asked and rarely receive confidential information from NHS staff in large print, email and braille or other formats they can read, says research from RNIB.
Braille
Other patients whose first language isn't English can correctly receive information in a choice of 175 languages but Barbara Creighton from Lancaster who is registered blind, has never received information from the NHS in her preferred reading format, braille.
Barbara, 64, who lives alone with her guide dog Uri is stopped from reading her own personal and sometimes confidential health information. Barbara said: "I received the results of a mammogram test via a letter that arrived at my house. I understand it was written in standard print. I couldn't read it so I took it to the Post Office to ask a lady at the Post Office to read the results to me.
"The information in that letter was sensitive and of course
confidential. The results could have been distressing for me and for the lady who read it to me. If I received letters in Braille I wouldn't need to ask somebody else to read them to me."
Losing Patients
Further research from RNIB's 'Losing Patients' campaign also found that, 72 per cent of blind and partially sighted people said they are unable to read information from their GP. 81 per cent are unable to read medicine instructions and safety notices.
Barbara Creighton also has a vitamin B12 deficiency. Despite being blind, information to help her better understand her condition was supplied in standard print. Barbara said: "They knew I was blind but I was still being offered a standard print leaflet. I asked for information in braille and was told, 'Oh no, I'm not sure if we can'.
Barbara still hasn't received a version of the leaflet in braille. She added: "On the one hand you want to stand up for your rights but on the other you don't want to do anything that might upset anyone. That isn't a reasonable choice for anyone to have to make. It really is unfair".
Whilst the NHS don't appear to want to help her Barbara added: "My bank, utility company and some restaurants can provide me with information in braille and I can pick up paracetamol from the shop in a brailed box. I am not asking for the moon - I'm only asking the NHS to provide me with information I can read in the same way as other patients receive it".
NVision and Galloway
NVision and Galloway's societies for blind and partially sighted people, who combined represent over 7,500 service users, in partnership with RNIB are hosting today's event at Ewood Park Blackburn (19 March), which brings together blind and partially sighted people, NHS representatives and local politicians to discus problems and ways to find solutions.
In a joint statement, Kevin Winkley Chief Executive, NVision and Peter Taylor, Director, Galloway's Society for the Blind, who cover the Fylde coast, north, central and south Lancashire area said: "We support RNIB's 'Losing Patients' campaign because we know, only too well, that blind and partially sighted people in Lancashire receive important health information in formats that they cannot read. Blind and partially sighted people are being denied their right to receive accessible information from health organisations who are under a legal obligation to provide it.
Lack of provision
Lindsay Armstrong, RNIB's Campaign Officer for the North West said: "RNIB's research shows the NHS is failing to communicate with blind and partially sighted people and is treating them less fairly then other patients. Within the NHS the needs of patients who speak other languages are quite correctly taken seriously. The same can't be said of people whose sight problems don't allow them to read standard print. Health service providers are under an obligation to provide patients with equal access to health information. The majority of them are failing to meet that obligation."
Health service providers failing to provide accessible information are likely to be in breach of the disability discrimination act (DDA) 1995. This month new legislation introduced by vice president of RNIB Lord Colin Low, aimed at further strengthening existing laws has been agreed by the government and moves through parliament.
Only one per cent of blind and partially sighted people surveyed by RNIB wanted their health information read to them by a carer or relative - 99 per cent didn't.
NVision and Galloway's added: "It is simply wrong when many of the people we represent, against their wishes have confidential and highly sensitive health information read out loud. And as for prescribed medicine - who would chose to take it without first being able to read the label? We at NVison North West and Galloway's Society for the Blind are working hard with RNIB to give blind and partially sighted people that choice."
RNIB will work with local associations from across the country to support blind and partially sighted people to help them to find out about their legal rights in this area and to feel empowered to ask for information in a format they can read.
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Further information
For further media information please contact Bill Alker at RNIB Press Office on 020 7391 2223 (out of hours mobile: 07968 482812).
Venue for event - Directors Guest Lounge, Blackburn Rovers Football Club, Ewood Park, Blackburn BB2 4JF, from 2.30 to 4pm.
The research
RNIB commissioned Dr Foster to investigate the experiences of 600 blind and partially sighted people across the UK who had used NHS services in the last twelve months. The study also investigated the views of healthcare professionals in both primary and secondary care. Dr Foster conducted the study between July and November 2008. The Losing Patients campaign is based on the findings of this research.
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72 per cent reported the information they received from their GP was not in an accessible format.22 per cent said they had missed an appointment because the appointment letter was not in an accessible format.
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Only one per cent of blind and partially sighted people said they wanted written information given via a carer or relative but 28 per cent of health professionals wrongly thought blind and partially sighted people wanted information in this way.
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73 per cent of healthcare professionals either said their organisation does not have a clear policy on the provision of accessible information or they did not know if it did.
Further notes to editors
NVisionNW is the trading name of the Blackpool Fylde & Wyre Society for the Blind. The Society, which dates back to 1910 and serves some 2,500 members, provides a residential care home - the Princess Alexandra Home for the Blind, a Low Vision Centre, weekly Social Centres, Information Days, Visual Awareness Training, a weekly Deaf/Blind Activities Group, a volunteer befriending scheme, an Eye Clinic Liaison Service and Talking News Services all based on its main site on Bosworth Place, Blackpool
For more information on RNIB's Losing Patients campaign visit,
http://www.rnib.org.uk/losingpatients>
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