The Department of Health has launched two new guides to support
adults with sensory disabilities in Northern Ireland.
Known as ‘care pathways', the new resources map out the care and
treatment users can expect from professionals and support
organisations to help them manage their conditions.
They are aimed at those who are deaf, have hearing loss or
tinnitus, and those with sight loss or who have experienced
difficulty with their vision, to enable them to access the help
they need more easily.
The pathways include a step-by-step process from referral,
through diagnosis, assessment and treatment, to community support
and specialist services.
Health Minister said: “The pathways
provide clear directions towards the support and information
users might need so they get the help they need in a timely way.
They will also ensure that health and care professionals deliver
a consistent and standardised approach to managing care.
“The collective goal is to ensure that individuals,
families and carers are at the heart of the process to support
people with sensory disabilities, and that all assessments of
service needs are person centred and comprehensive."
The guides have been designed in collaboration with users and
their families and delivered by the Regional Sensory Impairment
Group, which brings together users, community and voluntary
sector organisations and health and social care
professionals to focus on improving services and support for
people with sensory disabilities.
Robert Shilliday, Country Director for RNIB in Northern Ireland
said: “It is very positive that the sight loss
pathway embeds and reflects the importance of the support
provided by RNIB Eye Care Liaison Officers (ECLOSs), by the wider
range of RNIB services, and by our voluntary and community sector
colleagues. Additionally, that these supports are available from
the very earliest stages of the patient journey.
“We value the importance of placing the patient, their family,
and carers, at the centre of the pathway, and are delighted to
see that this has been reflected. It is also to be welcomed that
the Department has worked closely with us, to ensure that the
guides will be available in a range of accessible formats for
blind and partially sighted people.”
Jackie White, RNID Associate Director for Localities, welcomed
the publication as a “valuable resource” for people who are deaf,
have tinnitus or hearing loss in Northern Ireland.
She added: “We support people every day who have questions about
their own care pathway and what will happen next. It is therefore
really helpful to have this information in one place and in a
user-friendly format too. Hopefully people will feel more
informed and empowered about the support available to them as a
result of this pathway."
The Care Pathways are available to download at: Physical and
Sensory Disability - DOH/HSCNI Strategic Planning and Performance
Group (SPPG)
Note to Editors:
- Currently across Northern Ireland, there are 57,500 people
with sight loss, with this figure expected to rise by over 25 per
cent by 2032.
- Around 350,000 people in Northern Ireland, or about one
in five of the population, are deaf or hard of hearing.
- The Regional Sensory Impairment Group was established under
the Regional Physical and Sensory Disability Strategy and Action
Plan 2012-2018
