Sharon Beckett, CEO Sight Support 01495 763650 [e-mail] Miriam Wright, CEO Vision Support 01244 381515 [e-mail]

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Sharon Beckett, CEOSight Support01495
763650Sharon.Beckett_at_Sightsupport.org.ukMiriam
Wright, CEOVision Support01244
381515mwright_at_visionsupport.org.uk
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Background

• Experience of Service Delivery in partnership
  with Local Authorities.
• Rehabilitation Teams
• Supporting and providing training to increase
  workforce
• Value of this expertise within our organisations

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Developments in Rehabilitation

• Facing threat of considerable cuts
• Growing demographic service user base
• Increased expectations and aspirations
• Increased skill base of workers, growing
  professionalism and enthusiasm to embrace
  continuous professional development

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So, do we all work harder?

• Statutory sector cuts reductions in service
• Partnership working
• Added value, working smarter
• Some ideas to be going on with .

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LVT project

• Reduces the referral pathway to rehabilitation
  services
• Includes people who previously would not have
  seen a rehabilitation worker
• Provides rehabilitation before independence is
  compromised
• Randomised Control Trial so will be monitored
  closely for effectiveness

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LVT Project

• Low Vision Assessment, will allocate 50 patients
  onto pathway 1 and 50 onto pathway 2
• Pathway 1 will be 3 immediate sessions of
  rehabilitation
• Pathway 2 will be 3 immediate sessions with a
  volunteer
• STILL go through the normal route as well so will
  also go through to ophthalmology and social
  services
• Evaluation from Cardiff University

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Direct Payments

• Guide Dogs led project training Sighted Guides
• Adding value to existing services
• Enabling independence, not reliance on statutory
  sector going forward

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Counselling

• Using counsellors who need to gain hours to
  qualify, but have done all the theory
• Trained in sight loss, prognosis, what services
  available
• Matched carefully for compatibility
• Supervised
• Time limited and reviewed carefully
• Enables better use of Rehabilitation Workers time

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Middlestep Courses

• Course for smallish groups of newly registered
  people their carers
• 4 or 5 days, 1 day per week
• Cover eye condition, eye health, services
  available in your area, welfare rights, aids and
  equipment, hints and tips, emotional support,
  full assessment of need
• Good peer support
• Acts as a buffer to reduce need for immediate
  rehabilitation whilst also identifying high risk

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Summary

• Finances will be tight
• Important that the most vulnerable people in
  society should not end up being the biggest
  losers in any cuts
• Lots of different ways forward need to keep an
  open mind, re-engineer what we do
• Partnership working, use of voluntary sector to
  increase leverage

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Thanks for listening.

• Sharon Beckett
• Sight Support
• Bradbury House
• Park Buildings
• Pontypool
• NP4 6JH
• 0195 763650
• Sharon.Beckett_at_Sightsupport.org.uk

• Miriam Wright
• Vision Support
• The Ropeworks
• Whipcord Lane
• Chester
• CH1 4DZ
• 01244 381515
• mwright_at_visionsupport.org.uk