NB Live 2014: Importance of CVI
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A panel at NB Live discussed health and social care support in eye clinics. Stevie Johnson is eye clinic impact manager at RNIB.
Stevie Johnson:
“So it's very important that all people who are eligible for certification should be offered it, so that the numbers are as accurate as they can be and so services and support can be better planned, commissioned and delivered to meet their needs. Local interpretation of this information is crucial and it's important to understand what our local results are to take the right steps.
Now, RNIB has developed the sight loss data tool which will help you to understand the picture in your local area. It provides information at local, regional and national level about blind and partially sighted people and those at risk from sight loss. It's vitally important to ensure that these messages around certification and registration and the public health indicator are out there.”
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Charlotte Procter's an eye clinic liaison officer based in Leeds.
Charlotte Procter:
“I applied for the job as an ECLO because I believe that I as a person with sight loss stand in a unique position of empathy with my patients, so I can understand how frustrating it is to be at a restaurant and send your food flying across the table. I know how silly you feel when you walk into a lamppost and apologise, because you think it's a person. I know how lonely and lost a person can feel, even when they're in a room filled with people that they know. Another reason is that I am very passionate about the fact that no one should slip through the net and I want to make sure that that happens as little as possible.”
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Beth Barnes is head of professional standards at the Royal College of Ophthalmologists.
Beth Barnes:
“So I'm just going to talk about a little bit of the work we've been doing over the past six months with the RNIB and VISION 2020 and people like Charlotte around England on educating ophthalmologists about the importance of the certification process and the public health indicator, but mostly we've really been concentrating on the CVI process. We've run 13 road shows in regional teaching centres around England, we've got two left to do later on this year.
What have the sessions revealed? We asked at the start of each session did the attendees understand the difference between the certification and registration, and not surprisingly a lot of people hadn't even realised there was a difference between the two.
Very importantly, and again coming out really from the session, was appreciation of the role of the ECLO. Most of the areas we visited did have ECLO support in place, it wasn't always full-time within the clinics and the odd places had had their ECLOs withdrawn or were at danger of having that happen to them and it was really a concern for the teams.
They also found the experience of listening to the patients - and we had some wonderful speakers talking of their own experience of sight loss at each session. That was really felt to be very powerful by a lot of the trainees and the consultants that attended, but 95 per cent of the attendees said that based on the session, they understood their role in the certification and registration process. Ninety-two per cent, which is a really high rate, said that they would consider modifying their practice.
Again, just a couple of suggested actions or tips for good practice, like having an A4 sheet of paper with local contact information that ophthalmologists can have in their clinic to give to patients or relatives to take away and contact people. Somebody has to be in charge of keeping that up-to-date, I think was the key. Ensuring information on the CVIs is completed in full and also the importance of early referral to patients using the low vision services, even if they weren't at certification level.”
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To find out more about NB Live visit rnib.org.uk/nbmagazine.
RNIB, supporting people with sight loss.