Explaining certification and registration
The relationship between certification and registration can be confusing for some.
Certification
This is the process by which the consultant ophthalmologist certifies a person as having a certain level of sight loss. The consultant measures both visual acuity and visual field and captures this information on a form called a Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI). Once this form is signed by the consultant and submitted to the local authority, the registration process can begin. Certification acts as permission for a patients information to be sent to other relevant agencies such as the Local Authority Sensory Team, GP etc who may be able to recommend support options. By agreeing to be certified, a patient is not agreeing to registration itself which is a separate process.
Registration
Registration is the process by which councils acknowledge a person as sight impaired or as severely sight impaired. Once the CVI is signed by a consultant ophthalmologist, it acts as the formal notification required by councils with social services responsibilities (or their agents) to register someone as sight impaired or as severely sight impaired. However, registration is a voluntary process. It is up to the individual patient to decide whether or not they want to be registered, so they should be sufficiently well informed to make this decision.
If a patient agrees to be registered as sight impaired or as severely sight impaired this will allow access to certain key benefits which include:
· support and assessment from social services to live independently
· protection under the Equality Act 2010.
Registration does not automatically entitle someone to welfare benefits but it can support a claim.
Your patients can call RNIB's Welfare Rights Service on 0303 123 9999 for more information and advice on potential benefits related to registration.
Certification-registration and your patients
Your patients may require an introduction to the certification process that explains how it directly affects them.
The key points you should cover include:
· Once a patient's level of sight has been established by the ophthalmologist, it can be set against criteria for severely "sight impaired/blind" or "sight impaired/partially sighted".
· The consultant ophthalmologist will certify the patient against one of the criteria above, if appropriate.
· Once the paperwork is completed, it is sent to social services or the contracted agencies acting on their behalf.
· Social services are obliged to contact the patient within two weeks of receiving the certification documents in order to arrange an appointment for assessment of the patient's needs and the support they require, and to establish whether they would like to become registered.
Patients should be made aware of the following:
· When they are discussing registration with social services, they do not have to make a decision right away - patients are entitled to register at any point following their certification.
· Sometimes there are delays between certification and registration, but patients are entitled to ask their social services department to assess their needs more quickly.
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