New Vision Impairment Network for Counselling and Emotional Support (VINCE)Steering Group

New Vision Impairment Network for Counselling and Emotional support (VINCE)Steering Group Meeting

19th–20th November

Apex Hotel,

31-35 Grassmarket,

Edinburgh,

EH1 2HS (0131 3003456)

From Midday – Midday

AGENDA

Day 1: Tuesday 19th November12.00pm

12.00 Lunch (Heights Restaurant, Apex Hotel) and initial introductions.

1. Welcome, Introductions and Apologies for Absence

Chair: Mhairi Thurston

Amanda Hawkins

Andrew Miller

Catherine Dennison

David Galloway

Hazel Russell

James Adams

Jo Pybis

Lorna Marques-Brocksopp

Martin Thomas

Matt Broom

Stevie Johnson

Apologies:

Ansley Workman

2. Declarations of Interest (Chair) MT

None

3. What is the VINCE group (a history)

Review by MT

Objective 1:

Approx. 230 members

MT: Research, papers distributed.

MT and AH working on a project looking at 50 case studies from RNIB per month and write up 10 each month, To develop a client designed service.

BACP: Main professional body for counselling.

AH: struggle to get sight loss counselling recognised in the mainstream of counselling services.

JP: Possibly get more publications out in the BACP journals to increase interest.

LMB: Possible get further out to mental health foundation mind

AH: Possibly Andy Bell from centre for mental health on the group to link up?

AH: we need to bridge between people talking about the sight loss pathway and separately the mental health pathway.

Objective 2:

Understand that emotional support is in the remit of all health and social care professionals.

Mapping a cancer patients journey against a person losing their sight’s journey to

Why is sight loss not seen as a long term health conditions other long term conditions have counselling as part of their.

RNIB looking at cost benefits of an ECLO.

Commissioner looking at instant saving and who saves in the two budgets Health or Social Care

(Alec Davidson health economist)

The issues is that the health and social care environment is very competitive.

Counselling for Parents and children.

Agreement from the group that Emotional support is central and needs to be promoted

How does VINCE support the refreshed UKVS (doc attached).

‘Fear’ of losing sight.

BME groups and understanding that culturally sensitive issues exist.

Normalisation of the idea of counselling ‘It’s ok to talk’ it is not failing or being weak to go for counselling.

Internet supports dependence (i.e. by people shopping for alcohol or gambling online).

8% of people committed or sectioned have vision impairment or are blind.

(AH will forward email on this)

Sight Loss 2013 MB will send out

Need to make sure Seeing It My Way is used by the group for campaigns etc.

Current situation

Is emotional support now on the agenda?

SJ: People are becoming aware of emotional support

AH: that’s been out biggest success so far

DG: IN NI Social Services say Social woorkers offer counselling do they?

SJ: It’s about the definition of roles and defining what people offer

AH: RNIB created the ‘Tiers of Service’ doc in order to define the roles

The RNIB team is called the emotional support team as historically older people didn’t want counselling as there was a stigma but that has changed.

LMB: Terminology is key

AH: We have to engage with professional GPs, Ophthalmologists etc

MB:Could we possibly put paper to the RCOpth conference for 2015?

DG: Can we prove that specific Sight Loss counselling services are essential

MT: Goal rating scale for measuring the importance

LMB: DepVit Depression in Vision Impairment Trial. Randomised clinical trial looking at problem solving. Looking at LV clincis London and Wales and looking a depressive symptoms. Tom Margraine in Wales leading on this. (Problem solving Therapy PST)

SJ: Why is it that everyone who gets burgled gets offered counselling likewise if you have a genetic condition you get offered genetic counselling. Why is the idea that Sight loss needs emotional support not ‘normal’

LMB: Where does VINCE fit with services?

Approx 3pm Tea/Coffee Break

4. What Emotional Support work you do, if any. i.e. What brings you to this table and what can you bring to this table?

Who is delivering emotional support

Embedded counselling from nurses. 1-1 mobility workers etc etc

SJ: 426 eye clinics across UK we know some kind of early reach provision in 218 of them (in some cases ECLO in some C+ECLO type service provided by Voluntary organisation in some cases just a stand of Info byVoluntary organisation) 79 locations provided by RNIB group across UK. All RNIB group eclos collecting same data 2012/13 and some other providers. Data being collected includes: age eye condition, whether they live alone, where they were referred from, what services they wanted etc etc.

DG: NI Community project offering advice and support targeting healthcare professionals GP’s pharmacists etc. To communicate what support is available for people with sight loss inc emotional support.

Early dignaosis pack ( now the Living with sight loss pack) goes out to ECLO’s and GP’s from RNIB is emotional support in this.

Lobbying new service providers (private providers who may be about to take over) to get emotional support on the agenda.

We need a clear message about what we are talking about in order to propagate our message.

What is VINCE?

Psychological support for people with sight loss whenever they need it.

Psychological and self-help therapies.

Ensuring wellbeing with counselling support?

Service user perspective what’s meaningful for them? Maybe ask the VINCE subscribers.

What is emotional support?

DG: Can VINCE come up with some standards for Counselling and emotional support in conjunction with BACP?

Do we want services to be provided by 3rd sector or should it be part of IAP services in the community.

AH: has put a bid in to DOH for funding to provide a triage service for VINCE to work on a set of standards for sight loss counselling.

VISIONARY have taken on Grosvenor trust money to provide counselling with untrained VI counsellors

MT: So the question is can any counsellor work effectively with Blind and Vision Impaired people or does it need specialisation?

AH: Can we define what ECLO means

MB: I don’t think this group is set up to do that?

DG: I’m not sure we can avoid it. If we’re talking about the tiers we have to talk about ECLO’s

MB: If we user the Adult sight loss pathway as a basis can we provide recommendations and references for certain aspects and actual standards for other parts.

Why is there not already a psycological pathway for people with sight loss in the NHS?

Why should I buy

Where is it being delivered

Who is paying

What sort of support helps

Collective Vision, collective language, about who we are and what we want to do.

VISION and Mission statement

VISION Statement

Effective emotional support and counselling is accessible for all people whose lives have been affected by sight loss when needed.

Counselling for Depression example:

Mission

In recognition of the personal and societal cost of sight loss VINCE (?) works in partnership to embed effective emotional support and counselling across the statutory and third sectors.

Working towards:

Adhering to the principals of the UK Vision Strategy our objectives are:

Ensuring Quality

Forming partnerships to establish best practice

Expanding Evidence Base for good practice.

Evaluate the cost effectiveness of Emotional Support and counselling

Facilitating and maintaining anetwork for practitioners to support good practice.

Principals:

Client Led

Culturally sensitive

5. Review the TOR's so they fit with the V2020UK template

Tomorrow and fitting in with the objectives etc. above.

6. What could the VINCE group be? Modelling the future: Where does emotional support fit with the Refreshed UKVS? What is the purpose of the VINCE group?

17.00 meeting finishes

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