Members' Business: Communication Failure?

A Review of the Accessibility of Health Information for Blind and Partially Sighted People

That the Parliament notes the contents of the RNIB Scotland report, Communication Failure?, launched on 17 February 2020, highlighting what it considers communication failures of NHS boards regarding people with sight loss or visual impairment; considers that the actions of each NHS board, including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which covers the Greenock and Inverclyde constituency, are putting blind and partially sighted people at risk of missing treatments and potentially leading to increased ill health due to inaccessible health information; believes that patient confidentiality is being breached due to individuals relying on carers, relatives or friends to read appointment letters on their behalf; understands that 170,000 people in Scotland have significant sight loss, and therefore considers that the need for accessibility is high, and notes the view that every NHS board should engage with organisations that deal with sight loss to provide a more person-centred approach to communicating with such people.