COVID-19: lessons must be learned

Many blind and partially sighted people were disproportionately affected by the pandemic and the UK's response to it. For example, despite the introduction of the NHS Accessible Information Standard in 2016, which requires health and care bodies to ensure blind and partially sighted people receive communications in a format that they can read, blind and partially sighted people still received shielding letters they could not read throughout 2020. It also took many months for work on accessible covid tests to be developed.

More shockingly, official data shows that in some age groups blind and partially sighted people were 40 per cent more likely to die from Covid-19 than the general population [ONS]. In addition, we know that some blind and partially sighted people had difficulty accessing food when grocery deliveries were restricted, and many struggled with social distancing and navigating changes to local streets. Others became more isolated because of changes to daily lives during lockdown.

RNIB was formally part of the UK Covid Inquiry’s public hearings on healthcare during the pandemic, as part of the Disability Charities Consortium, a group of nine national disability charities: the Business Disability Forum, Leonard Cheshire, Mencap, Mind, NAS, RNIB, RNID, Scope and Sense.

RNIB Chief Executive Matt Stringer said, "The inquiry is a hugely important opportunity for lessons to be learned, to inform the UK’s response to future national crises and make sure that the rights and needs of blind and partially sighted people are never again overlooked."

Learn more about the evidence we gave to the Inquiry.

• Our response to publication of Module 1 report on the UK's preparedness for a pandemic.
• Our response to publication of Module 2 report on decision-making during the pandemic.
• Our response to publication of Module 3 report on the pandemic's impact on UK health systems.
• Our input to the inquiry hearings.
• Our closing arguments to the inquiry hearings.