Visually impaired people made the most of their chance to air their views on health services at a consultation meeting organised by Islington Council last Thursday (10MAR05).
Cllr Meral Ece, Executive Member for Adult Social Services, said: "It's the first time we have done something like this for visually impaired people in Islington and it was very useful. The whole discussion around accessing GP surgeries focused on developing standards for communicating with visually impaired people. It was suggested that surgeries could make better use of electronic communication, for instance, and offer to send information by email - a more accessible format than printed material.
"It was a great opportunity to share good practice. Some people weren't aware of all the services available from Islington's Low Vision Centre or of their generous repair and replacement policy.
"It was also a chance to let people know about progress. Many workers in Islington's Primary Care Trust (PCT) have received disability awareness training including awareness of visual impairment. This is part and parcel of our joint work with the PCT in moving away from the medical model of disability and towards the removal of barriers when accessing services."
The meeting was a joint consultation between Islington Council and Islington PCT. Professionals from the PCT and Islington social services gave presentations and answered questions on the night.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday the 26th of May and will focus on issues about housing for visually impaired people who live in Islington.
Page Last Updated: 29 July 2008