Blind and partially sighted campaigners demand NHS Highland budget rethink
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Protesters have made a stand against budget cuts outside NHS Highland's headquarters at Assynt House in Inverness in a bid to save a local charity.
Sight Action, a charity which campaigns for blind and partially sighted people, had previously told NHS Highland it would be unable to continue providing support to users in the region after the health board failed to reach an agreement on increasing its budget.
The charity provides a range of support to the blind and partially sighted through an agreement with NHS Highland and Highland Council.
Highlands and Islands MSP Rhona Grant joined service users to demonstrate how valuable Sight Action’s services are.
She has also tabled a motion for debate within the Scottish Parliament on Sight Action and has asked NHS Highland’s chief executive, Paul Hawking, for a meeting to discuss this issue.
Mrs Grant said: “Sight Action provides incredible support to those who are blind or visually impaired. They provide equipment, aids, emotional support and home visits so that blind and visually impaired people can live as independently as possible.
“People are telling me today, that they are demonstrating not for themselves, but for the people who will be told in the future that they are blind or visually impaired. Sight Action provides that support and hope needed to go through that change.”
Mrs Grant continued: “I think that NHS Highland needs to seriously consider what the future framework of services for the blind and visually impaired will look like, because currently there is no one else at the standard of Sight Action.”
It was indicated to Mrs Grant at the end of last year that Sight Action’s services to almost 3000 blind or visually impaired adults and children will not continue past March 31 as NHS Highland is unable to increase funding.
An NHS Highland spokeswoman said: "NHS Highland and Highland Council have been notified by Sight Action of their decision to withdraw from the contract. Clearly this comes as a disappointment to us. We are in dialogue with the organisation as well as exploring options for alternative provision."
