Research raises questions over state of social care and personalisation for blind people

Research raises questions over state of social care and personalisation for blind people

By Andy McNicoll on July 4, 2012 2:39 PM| No Comments

I've been reading a report by the Royal National Institute of Blind People on local authority support for people with sight loss, and it raises a few issues around social care provision for the client group.

Blind and partially sighted people interviewed for the RNIB's 'Quick wins and missed opportunities' research reported a lack of contact with social care professionals. After initial contact with a social worker, "participants were usually left to 'get on with things' themselves", the report found.
So what's the answer? With caseloads spiralling, extra contact time with social workers could be hard to secure.

But the RNIB report contains an interesting case study from Plymouth where a low vision community liason worker post has been created. The role offers support to stop people "slipping through the net" between health and social care.
Could that be an example of the kind of (and sorry to use this phrase) "joined up" support that's needed to ensure that someone's initial contact with a social worker is the start, not end, of their support?

The report also found that blind people are missing out on personalisation's benefits, either due to them being deemed ineligible for personal budgets or simply not being aware of them.
The frustration that personalisation's potential for clients is not being realised is shared by many social workers. Just take a look at the findings from our State of Personalisation 2012 survey published today.

The RNIB report, which I should mention was produced in conjunction with the Office for Public Management, is targeted at commissioners. But it's worth a read for some of the social care focused case studies.
Plus it provides a good insight into issues affecting blind people beyond social care - such as transport, training and employment. Check the report and summary out here.

http://www.communitycare.co.uk/blogs/mental-health/2012/07/research-raises-questions-over.html