A new Ophthalmic Public Health Ambassador (OPHA) role has been created by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to increase the profile of eye health as a key public health priority.
The number of people in the UK with sight loss is set to increase dramatically. It is predicted that by 2050 the number of people with sight loss in the UK will double to nearly four million.
Now that the new Public Health Indicator for preventable sight loss is embedded in the Public Health Outcomes Framework in England, it's a great time to build sustainable relationships with public health professionals on a local and national level.
New OPHAs
As part of RNIB's Save Our Sight (SOS) campaign, these new OPHAs are:
-
Championing eye health issues in meetings with commissioners and public health professionals;
-
Supporting the inclusion of eye health in Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNAs) and Health and Wellbeing strategies, and;
-
Embedding the public health indicator.
The OPHAs are from a variety of backgrounds, including clinicians, commissioners, eye care services and rehabilitation professionals.
So far there are 30 Ambassadors who completed an Ophthalmic Public Health course earlier this year at the Leeds Institute of Health Sciences. RNIB is very pleased to currently be engaging with others who have completed the course in previous years and who have undertaken any other Public Health related training.
The first meeting of the OPHAs was held in Leeds on 28 November to capture learning and progress since they completed the course.
Share, showcase and build
The meeting was an opportunity for the Ambassadors to share, showcase and build on current work. For example, a project in Scotland is developing ways for people with dementia to access eye health services. In Bradford, the importance of workforce planning for rehabilitation officers is being highlighted by the work of the OPHA. In addition, the OPHA are also very active within Local Professional Networks, Local Eye Networks and Local Vision Strategy groups. A key success of the first meeting was ensuring RNIB's regional campaigning activities are linked to the work of the OPHAs.
Going forward, RNIB will build an infrastructure of support for the OPHAs, link them with colleagues from the UK Vision Strategy and support innovative eye health projects.
Sonal Rughani, Eye Health Development Advisor at RNIB said: "RNIB is committed to building the Ophthalmic Public Health Ambassador programme to provide support and infrastructure to the excellent work taking place around the UK.
"By integrating messages about smoking, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and falls with eye health messages we hope to pique the interest of local public health commissioners, and ultimately help to prevent avoidable sight loss.
"With new recruits to the OPH course in January 2013, there is the scope and energy to build on this work to make sure that the Ophthalmic Public Health Ambassadors really are the eye care and sight loss soldiers on the ground."
If you are interested in learning more about the Ophthalmic Public Health Ambassador Programme, please contact Sonal.Rughani@rnib.org.uk
Ends
For media enquiries, please contact RNIB's Public Relations Team on 0207 391 2223 or email pressoffice@rnib.org.uk.
Notes to editors:
About RNIB
Everyday around 100 people in the UK start to lose their sight. There are around 2 million people in the UK with sight problems. RNIB is the leading charity working in the UK offering practical support, advice and information for anyone with sight difficulties. If you, or someone you know, has a sight problem RNIB can help. Call the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or visit www.rnib.org.uk