New support guides for adults with sensory disabilities launched

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 Mike Nesbitt 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,” he said.

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.

“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,” she added.

The Care Pathways are available to download at: Physical and Sensory Disability - DOH/HSCNI Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG)

Notes to editors: 

1. 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.
2. Around 350,000 people in Northern Ireland, or about one in five of the population, are deaf or hard of hearing.
3. The Regional Sensory Impairment Group was established under the Regional Physical and Sensory Disability Strategy and Action Plan 2012-2018
4. For media enquiries please contact the DoH Press Office by email pressoffice@health-ni.gov.uk.
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6. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service For Media Enquiries Only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

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