NHS Health and Social Care Awards - Regional Finalist

SeeAbility, formerly The Royal School for the Blind, has become the Surrey Regional Winner in the NHS South East Coast Best of Health Awards run in partnership with the National Health and Social Care Awards 2008 for their eye 2 eye Campaign.  The innovative project which helps people with a learning disability access appropriate eye healthcare was judged the Surrey Regional Winner in the Improving Health & Reducing Inequalities category.

Epsom-based SeeAbility launched the eye 2 eye Campaign in 2005 with the aim of improving eye care and vision for people with learning disabilities.  There are 1.5m people with a learning disability in the UK and a staggering 500,000 will have a significant but undetected visual impairment which could put them at risk of losing their sight.   SeeAbility's research revealed that the vast majority of this group don't have regular and appropriate sight tests and many people with a learning disability are left even more isolated as a result of a visual impairment.  The eye 2 eye Campaign provides help and support to people with a learning disability so that they can have a sight test and low vision support tailored to their individual needs.

We are delighted with this award, says Deborah Hamlin, SeeAbility's Interim Director of Information & Advisory Services, because it acknowledges our work to transform eye care for people with learning disabilities and it highlights the need for appropriate services for a group of people who can be marginalised in mainstream provision.

SeeAbility will now go forward to be judged by a finalist's panel for the chance of being awarded the overall South East Coast Region Award.

For more information on the eye 2 eye Campaign, call 0800 121 8900 or visit www.seeability.org  or www.lookupinfo.org