Finding your own way around: experiences of health and social care provision for people with a visual impairment in the United Kingdom

Hodge, S., Thetford, C., Knox, P. and Robinson, J. (2015) Finding your own way around: experiences of health and social care provision for people with a visual impairment in the United Kingdom. British Journal of Visual Impairment, 33(3), pp. 200-211. (doi: 10.1177/0264619615596198)

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Abstract

The systems of support for people with a visual impairment in the United Kingdom are complex and can be difficult to access, involving input from a range of health and social care services. In this article, we report qualitative findings from research looking at people’s experiences of accessing health and social care services. These highlight the inconsistencies and variability in existing systems of support for people with a visual impairment, and show that access to services is largely dependent on the agency and initiative of individual service users in establishing networks of support for themselves. This means that those who are less able to do this may find themselves without the support necessary to maintain or improve their quality of life. We argue that health and social care agencies need to be more proactive in addressing the support needs of people with a visual impairment beyond the point of initial diagnosis or registration.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Robinson, Professor Jude
Authors: Hodge, S., Thetford, C., Knox, P., and Robinson, J.
College/School:College of Social Sciences
Journal Name:British Journal of Visual Impairment
Publisher:SAGE Publications
ISSN:0264-6196
ISSN (Online):1744-5809
Published Online:04 September 2015

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