Blind patients boost NHS access

Steve Keith encouraged health providers to add contact preferences to records

Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS trust has set up a focus group to make sure patients get personalised services. 

An entry in medical records now prompts clinicians to ask blind people if they prefer phone calls to letters, or offer partially sighted patients letters in larger fonts on contrasting paper. 

Clinical records include a section for reasonable adjustments and communication preferences, complying with the NHS accessible information standard. 

Winston Walker missed hospital appointments after losing his sight during the pandemic because he couldn’t read NHS correspondence.

“We’re living in a technological world and I don’t think that blind and partially sighted people’s needs have been taken into consideration, especially when it comes to using services,” he said. 

Steve Keith, a member of Birmingham Sight Loss Council (SLC) said: “Navigating the healthcare system can be overwhelming. I aim to make life easier for people with visual impairments.”

He has encouraged healthcare providers to add simple details to referrals, such as noting if a patient is registered blind and has a guide dog.

The project also addresses practical aspects of navigating healthcare, from guiding patients through physical spaces to ensuring online services are accessible. 

Steve said. “This initiative ensures support is available through receptionists or accessible technology.”

Birmingham SLC volunteers and the project team have delivered vision awareness sessions, where simulation spectacles allowing NHS staff to experience what it might be like to live without sight. 

• Sight Loss Councils, funded by the Thomas Pocklington Trust, are regional groups led by blind and partially sighted people, working to ensure services are inclusive and accessible.