Benchmarking Guidelines.
Visual Impairment Good Practice Guide No. 1: Provision of Information to Service Users.
January 2006.
This is one of a series of guides produced by the Project Team, as part of the study led by the Improvement and Governance team of the Welsh Local Government Association.
The guides are:
Further information from the Association at:
Local Government House, Drake Walk, Cardiff, CF10 4LG
Tel: 029 2046 8600.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
ADSS, LEAs, WCB, LHBs, RNIB Cymru, WAG, SSIW, NHS Health Trusts, Local voluntary organisations.
KEY ISSUES.
Provision of accurate and up to date information on services and how to access them is important in empowering people with visual impairment (VI) and ensuring they receive appropriate services. Awareness of available services in the population generally, and critically among users and potential users, is low.
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS.
Service user receives timely information on what services are available, and what they can expect from the services, in accessible formats.
KEY ACTIVITIES:
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Putting the information together;
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Support at the Eye Clinic;
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Information for individual service users.
CURRENT ADVICE ON TARGETS.
There are currently no national targets or guidance on performance. Important attention has been drawn to the service in the document 'Progress in Sight' (ADSS, RNIB and Guide Dogs, October 2003).
RECOMMENDED PERFORMANCE MEASURES.
% of people with a registered VI whose preferred formats for information and communication is recorded by the authority.
% of people with a registered VI receiving personal information in preferred formats relating to (i) VI services and (ii) local authority services generally.
| Key Activity | Minimum Standard | Good Practice | Better Practice |
| 1. Putting the Information Together. | Social Services produce information on its VI services and make it available to service users and partner agencies. | ||
| All partners1 agree content and level of the information to be provided in a collated information pack. | Local and national user groups are consulted on the contents and format of the information pack. | Local and national user groups are actively engaged in the planning and production of the pack. | |
| All partners produce single collated pack for service users which is available in accessible format/s. | Partners produce jointly a combined information booklet for service users that is available in accessible format/s. | Information booklet is available in preferred, accessible and preferred format/s upon request. | |
| Partners agree how the production and collation of the pack will be resourced. | |||
| The booklet provides a clear Care Pathway for service users, agreed by partners, which identifies the services provided by each. | The booklet provides a clear Care Pathway for service users, agreed by partners, which identifies the services provided by each and includes information on signposting and referral mechanisms. | ||
| Joint mechanisms are in place between partners for regular update and review of the packs and their contents. | |||
| 2. Support at the Eye Clinic. | Partners agree the type and minimum levels of information and emotional support that will be made available to service users and carers at the eye clinic. | Partners agree minimum standards for information and emotional support provided. | |
| Partners agree mechanisms for providing agreed information and emotional support. | Emotional support / counselling, where needed, is provided by a qualified professional in VI with appropriate counselling skills. | Emotional support/ counselling, where needed, is provided by a qualified professional in VI with appropriate counselling qualification. | |
| Neighbouring local authorities work jointly to provide mechanisms for providing information and emotional support where clinic serves more than 1 authority area. | |||
| 3. Information for Individual Service Users. | Social Services and health partners agree mechanisms for the joint provision to service users and carers of information and explanation of the diagnosed condition and medical, rehab and other services that will be available. | Information is provided in accessible format. | Information is provided in accessible and preferred format/s upon request. |
| Relevant information on service users’ diagnosis and needs is provided to education establishments and care agencies with permission of the service user, and in accordance with medical records regulations. |
1. Partners will include Local Health Board (LHB), NHS Trust and voluntary sector providers