Two Eye Care Liaison Officers (ECLOs) employed by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) will provide emotional support and practical advice to patients at Sunderland Specialist Eye Hospital. The officers, Mary Hall and Jo Hewitson, are both registered severely sight impaired, so they understand what it means to go through sight loss and move forward.
New purpose-built suite opens this week
The ECLOs will be based at the hospital's new purpose-built suite, which officially opens this week. The brightly decorated suite sits near the hospital entrance so it can be easily found by patients. RNIB worked closely with South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, assisting in the design of signage and wayfinding.
Feedback from blind and partially sighted people also helped shape the building's layout, signage, visibility and lighting, making it as accessible as possible for all patients.
Support for patients at a life-changing time
The officers will help patients understand their diagnosis and find emotional support at what can be a life-changing time. Mary said: "A diagnosis can be incredibly difficult. Patients can come to us and process the news they’ve been given and don’t have to feel they’re on their own. Having a patient come to us and afterwards say, ‘thank you so much, I think I’m going to be OK’, means so much."
Simon Antrobus, RNIB’s Chief Executive, said: "For many people the experience of sight loss creates significant anxiety, uncertainty and can result in a loss of confidence about the future. That’s why we’re so delighted to have a superb new centre to house our fantastic ECLOs, who can be there for patients when they need them most.
"We now have ECLOs in every major NHS eye clinic in the UK and we want Sunderland to be the flagship for the service, our hope is that other NHS Trusts will follow."
Patient's experience of the service
Jackie Kent has Stargardt’s dystrophy, which means she has about four per cent vision. She has been a patient at Sunderland, an ECLO, and now provides clinical supervision to the RNIB ECLO service across the UK. She said: "Before I saw an ECLO, I didn’t know what help was available. I was just trying to manage and get on with things, but suddenly there was somebody there who understood, who could listen, and who could start opening doors for me."
The ECLO Jackie visited referred her to a local college with a specialist vision impairment IT unit, helped connect her with local sensory support and supported her with a benefits application. Jackie said: "The impact was profound; I got a place at the college, I got accepted for a guide dog. My world just opened up completely. It changed everything - my confidence, my independence, my future."
Carol Jobling, Matron for Ophthalmology at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, said: "The ECLO service makes a real difference to our patients. Alongside the clinical care we provide, patients have dedicated support to help them understand their diagnosis, talk through their concerns and find the practical help they need. Having this purpose-built space in our new hospital means that support is easy to find and there when patients need it."
