Last Updated: July 16, 2025
Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), a leading sight loss charity, warns that sight loss patients face risks to their safety because information isn’t presented in an accessible manner. This warning is in response to the recent updates to the NHS England Accessible Information Standard. RNIB has stated that unless these changes are fully implemented blind and partially sighted people face serious risks to their safety due to inaccessible information about their health.
People with communication needs not receiving information in a way that is accessible to them can lead to missed medical appointments, delayed test results, misunderstood treatment instructions and unread medication labels and letters from doctors says RNIB. This can all lead to serious risks to the individual’s health and wellbeing, affecting patient safety, independence, privacy and dignity.
The updated Accessible Information Standard sets out how NHS and publicly funded adult social care services must provide information and correspondence to people with communication needs, including blind and partially sighted people.
The updated Standard has been cautiously welcomed by charities and organisations, including RNIB, as it does offer some improvement upon the original Standard published in 2016. However, RNIB has stated that further progress is needed, and all parts of the health and care system must take action to ensure accessible information is consistently available to those who need it.
RNIB is calling on the Minister for Care, Stephen Kinnock, to further strengthen the Standard and make it mandatory.
Blind and partially sighted people, and people with other communication needs, have a legal right to receive accessible health information and communication support, such as having information available in large print or braille.
Research has highlighted the scale of the problem with 77% of people with accessible information needs reporting rarely or never receiving information in an alternative format.
Anna Taylor, RNIB’s Chair of Trustees, said, ‘For blind and partially sighted people, this has always been a question of patient safety and independence. After years of waiting, I’m please the revised Accessible Information Standard has finally been published, but the hard work begins here.
NHS and adult social care decision-makers must ensure the requirements of the Standard are adopted fully so that we receive the information we need, in the format we need, to keep us all healthy and safe.’
The updated Standard was published before the announcement of the NHS 10 Year Plan which the Government states will transform the NHS into the most ‘digitally accessible health system in the world’.
RNIB urges for the modernisation plans to tackle long-standing issue with NHS and social care IT systems in hopes that patients’ communication needs are consistently recorded.
If you or a loved one are blind or partially sighted, RNIB has produced a guide on how to request accessible information.
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