Tackling barriers to health and social care in Bristol

Bristol Sight Loss Council are working to address the health and social care issues that blind and partially sighted people face. 

Be it receiving medical information in accessible formats, receiving rehabilitation and mobility training, or residents having their needs met as patients with a visual impairment.

Bristol held a Health and Social Care VI forum recently that invited a panel of leaders and senior managers from the health services and local authorities to talk about the special provisions they are taking to best cater for the needs of blind and partially sighted Bristolians. 

 

Sight Loss Council member, Emma Blackmoore who was in attendance said:

“It was excellent, there were lots of questions and helpful information shared. I feel that it’s good to have these forums, particularly for those who may be struggling and want to know where they can go for this support and what they are entitled to as a person with sight loss. “

Sight Loss Council member Anela Wood chaired the event. She had this to say about her experience: 

“My name is Anela Wood, and I am a Bristol Sight Loss Council member. I am completely blind, so tackling the issues faced by visually impaired people daily really matters to me. I love how Sight Loss Councils work collaboratively with organisations to find resolutions to the difficulties visually impaired people face.

 “I chaired the recent VI forum, which focused on health and social care services. We chose this as the subject because it is one of the top areas of concern for the visually impaired community in Bristol. The event was an opportunity for the community to come along and ask questions and give their feedback to speakers from the local city Council and hospital trusts. At the event, service providers shared details of the amazing work to help make their services more accessible to visually impaired people. The panel also heard about the challenges blind and partially sighted people who access their services face and their hopes for the future.”

 

#MakeHealth Accessible

Our #MakeHealthAccessible campaign aims to celebrate the progress made in many areas while calling for increased compliance in others and, critically, to raise awareness of the standard among blind and partially sighted people themselves and their right to request and receive information in accessible formats.

Find out more and get involved here

Publication date: 31 May 2022