Campaigns

Improving access to health and social care

Summary: One of RNIB's priority campaigns is to ensure better access to health and social care for blind and partially sighted people.

Patient and nurse

Why is this a priority?

Blind and partially sighted people and those losing their sight continue to be failed by health and social care services. People still struggle to locate the source of help, have their needs inadequately assessed and fail to get the support and equipment they require.

We will campaign for:

  • high quality and consistent health and social care assessment and support
  • improvements in community equipment services
  • adequate community care assessments
  • improved training for health and social care staff.

Current campaigns

All over the country, thousands of people with sight loss are unable to lead independent lives because they are not getting the support they need from their local authority. RNIB, Guide Dogs for the Blind and Action for Blind People have launched a joint report 'Reprioritising visual impairment' which sets out the compelling case for better services.

The Improving Lives Coalition consists of over 200 national and local voluntary organisations in the United Kingdom including Guide Dogs, National Association of Local Societies for the Visually Impaired (NALSVI), and RNIB. Together we will campaign to end the lottery that people experience in levels of community care treatment available across the country.

We launched the 'Equipped for Living' campaign on 27 March 2006 followed by a Parliamentary event on 28 March 2006.

Past campaigns

RNIB, Guide Dogs and the Association of Directors of Social Services (ADSS) published Progress in sight in October 2002. It contains the first ever ADSS national standards.

Get involved

There are many ways you can get involved. Each campaign has information about the ways that you can take part. From writing to your MP, to helping us spread the word, there is something for everyone.

Do you have a story to tell? Personal experiences are a very effective way of getting the message across. Contact us about how you could feature as a case study.

Our campaign toolkit has further information and advice for people wanting to campaign on our behalf.

Content author: campaign@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 08/04/2008 18:38

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Your stories

Jenny's story - Jenny Burgess volunteered for a disability support group run by people with physical disabilities. She was the only staff member with a sight problem. “I depended on a colleague with physical disabilities to give me a lift to work. I have far greater mobility problems than most people with physical disabilities who can drive a car, yet receive less benefit - it’s unfair and unjust.” Join our campaign to make the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance fair - taken for a ride.