Losing Patients is all about empowering blind and partially sighted people to secure accessible information from the NHS.
Everyone who joins this campaign believes that print is the problem, not having a sight impairment. We each have the right to manage our own health affairs with the same level of speed and privacy, whether we have a sight impairment or not.
What you can do
Those of us who regularly get our health information in a format we cannot read have a simple task: to tell the NHS services we use that we need accessible information. We have developed a helpful resource pack which you can download below.
Local societies and associations of and for the blind have a role to play in helping us secure accessible information too. They can do this on two levels. First the individual level, by supporting us to communicate our needs to the NHS services we use. Second, the organisational level, by bringing inaccessible information issues to the attention of local hospitals and the Primary Care Trust (PCT) or Health Board.
Resource pack for individuals and campaigners
The Losing Patients resource pack (Word, 93KB) includes a series of steps that you can take to support the campaign and demand accessible information from your GP, local hospital or clinic.
To make this easier, we have also provided a pre-formatted 'notification letter (Word, 24KB)' which you can send to your healthare provider. By sending this letter to your healthcare provider, you will be part of a co-ordinated campaign to heighten awareness and recognition across the NHS that their culture of giving ordinary print to blind and partially sighted patients must end.
Please email or call the Campaigns team on campaign@rnib.org.uk or 020 7391 2123 to let us know if you intend to use the notification letter to contact your healthcare provider so we can build up a picture of where people are taking action across the country. We can also put you in touch with your RNIB Regional Campaigns Officer who will let you know if there are any 'Losing Patients' events happening in your region.