Visual impairment services in Edinburgh will change from next month.

With effect from 1 April 2021, Visual Impairment Adult Rehabilitation and Mobility Services and the administration of the statutory Certificate of Vision Impairment Register will be carried out by Sight Scotland. Visibility Scotland will provide patient support services at Edinburgh’s Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion.

The charities will work in partnership with our social work locality teams to deliver services to support people. Over 100 locality staff have recently benefited from a training session on working with people with sight loss, which included insights from the outgoing RNIB social work team, and two further events are planned for next week for homecare staff. An MS Teams event will be held for EHSCP staff to introduce the new commissioned sight loss services to locality teams in the coming weeks.

The services will offer tailored support for people with sight loss and visual impairment, helping individuals to adapt, maintain and build independence. These services are available to anyone with sight loss aged 16 and upwards at any stage of sight loss, and their families and carers.

Under current pandemic restrictions, Sight Scotland’s expert rehabilitation team will offer assessments and support remotely via telephone and video calls from 1 April. The charity plans to offer home visits, outdoor mobility training and face‑to‑face support at community hubs in Edinburgh when Scottish Government restrictions allow.

Visibility Scotland will return to the Eye Department at Edinburgh’s Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion when restrictions allow. The Patient Support services will provide one-to-one support and advice at the point of diagnosis or treatment, as and when needed.

Sight Scotland has a long history of providing innovative, life-changing services to people with visual impairment across Scotland. Sight Scotland offers support to families and carers of anyone affected by sight loss, as sight loss is challenging not only for the individual but for the people around them too. Provision includes an advice and information service, specialist care and education.

Visibility Scotland provides person-centred, holistic services to people living with visual impairment across Scotland. Working at a local and national level, Visibility Scotland aims to evoke positive change and improve outcomes for visually impaired people of all ages, their families and carers.

Visibility Scotland empower and encourage children and adults to focus on what they can do, not what they cannot. Visibility Scotland provides a selection of innovative multi-disciplinary services that provide support from the clinic out into the community and beyond.

You’ll hear more on how to refer to the new providers, and the services’ contact details on Thursday 1 April 2021.