There has been some progress since the All Wales Standards were published in 2013, but we’re calling for more.
The Standards were published in July 2013, making Wales the first country in the UK to lay out how NHS services would be delivered accessibly to people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, partially sighted or have dual sensory loss.
Yet, we regularly hear from people with sensory loss who are still leaving hospital unsure of how much medication they are meant to take or unsure of what advice they have been given.
In our hospitals, people are still facing needless barriers due to their hearing and sight loss. Every day, patients continue to feel their dignity is not being respected and their communication needs overlooked.
We are undoubtedly seeing some progress in that Health Boards are spending time looking at their services for people with sensory loss. But put simply – patients are not seeing the increased accessibility they were promised.
We would like Welsh Government, Health Boards and all stakeholders to prioritise their commitment to increasing standards of care for people with sensory loss in Wales.