Freedom of information response

Please find attached a Freedom of Information (FOI) questionnaire about vision rehabilitation services, which The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is issuing to every local authority in England.

Following a recent FOI request on this matter, RNIB is conducting a further FOI request to better understand the provision of vision rehabilitation services across England. Vision rehabilitation provides one-to-one training in daily living skills, mobility, and communications, to maximise people’s independence, confidence and quality of life

As outlined in the 2014 Care Act, local authorities have a legal duty to prevent, reduce and delay the need for care and support. Councils are under a legal obligation to provide or arrange for the provisions of services, resources or facilities that maximise independence for those with disabilities or health conditions. Provision should be provided through an in-house vision rehabilitation service or outsourced to third party providers. Importantly, whether this service is delivered in-house or outsourced, local authorities remain responsible for the services provided in the local area and therefore are ultimately responsible for the provision of any information regarding these services. 

The aim of this FOI request is to better understand how vision rehabilitation is supplied across the country and to gain a greater understanding of how RNIB can support in improving blind and partially sighted peoples’ access to these essential services. 

Please find enclosed the FOI questionnaire in an excel format. We use this format to improve data gathering and to allow us to monitor returns more efficiently and we would therefore be grateful if you could respond to us using the attached spreadsheet.