Local authorities have been urged to signpost the free support available for veterans suffering from sight loss, with research showing many ex-service personal are missing out on services.
New research by Blind Veterans UK found that a quarter of those supported by the charity had struggled with sight loss for six years before accessing free support and services.
The charity is calling on councils to ask residents with sight loss if they have a service history and refer those to the charity that do. It says this would help them meet their obligations under the Care Act 2014, which requires councils to provide information about care and support.
Barry Porter, director of welfare services at Blind Veterans UK said: ‘We currently help more than 4,000 veterans and their families but we would know there are many more that could be slipping through the net.
‘To help them access the support they need, we are asking sensory impairment and social services teams at local authorities to check if residents with sight loss have a service history, and if they do signpost them to Blind Veterans UK.’
The charity has launched a No One Alone campaign and is offering free packs of promotional materials to local authorities’ sensory impairment teams and adult social services staff.
Photo: kenny1/Shutterstock.com
