How to share your views on the future of the NHS in England

The consultation is open to the public, and RNIB has been providing feedback to ensure the process is accessible for people with sight loss. Currently you can take part in the survey online, by post or over the phone.

The consultation is based around three shifts that the UK Government, experts and the health service agree need to happen:

• Moving care from hospitals to community
• Making better use of technology
• Focusing on preventing sickness, not just treating it.

The questions in the consultation relate to these three areas and it’s worth keeping these themes in mind when considering your answers.

Your response

Anyone in England over the age of 16 can take part in the consultation. Don’t worry if you’ve never responded to a consultation before, what’s important is getting across your own experiences and viewpoint which you are best placed to do. Please find a helpful guide to some points you could consider in your answer below. Use as much or as little of this content as you like.

Questions 1 through 4 are looking for short answers and cover what you value about the NHS, the challenges it faces and your personal experiences. Questions 5 through 10 are long form. This is an opportunity for you to respond in detail to the issues raised.

Question 5: In what ways, if any, do you think that delivering more care in the community could improve health and care?

Question 6: What, if anything, concerns you about the idea of delivering more care in the community in the future?

• Questions 5 and 6 relate to the UK Government’s first proposed shift to move care out of hospitals and into the community (i.e. GP clinics, pharmacies, local health clinics, etc.).
• In your response to these questions, you can consider how you would feel about being able to access care closer to home. For example, this might mean getting some routine eye care at an opticians rather than in hospitals.
• RNIB thinks that moving care to the community would be positive. For eye care, hospital waiting lists are extremely high. There are currently over 593,000 people on the ophthalmology waiting list, according to the latest figures, with a third having waited 18 weeks or more. Moving some care to the community could help bring waiting lists down.

Question 7: In what ways, if any, do you think that technology could be used to improve health and care?

Question 8: What, if anything, concerns you about the idea of increased use of technology in the future?

• Questions 7 and 8 ask for your thoughts on the use of technology in healthcare and any concerns you have about it being increasingly used going forward. This could be an opportunity for you to talk about your own experience of receiving materials in an accessible format and any positive or negative experiences you’ve had with technology in your care.
• In your answer, you can consider how a move to online or telephone appointments would affect you. Some people might prefer remote appointments, as it can remove the need to travel to an appointment, but for others remote appointments could be inaccessible.
• RNIB believes that technology could be enhanced to improve health care, but it is important it is used appropriately. Digital services need to be designed accessibly, and face-to-face and non-digital services must continue for people who need them.
• RNIB believes that better computer systems and use of artificial intelligence could help ensure people only have to tell clinicians their preferred formats once. It should also help make sure reasonable adjustments are provided more proactively and consistently.

Question 9: In what ways, if any, could an increased focus on prevention help people stay healthy and independent for longer?

Question 10: What, if anything, concerns you about the idea of an increased focus on prevention in the future?

• Questions 9 and 10 focus on prevention. Think about your own experience of preventative care and if you feel comfortable sharing your experiences of eye care, take some time to talk about your experiences of waiting for treatment or mental health support and if you may have benefited from being seen earlier.
• RNIB thinks that there should be more focus on prevention, as putting more resources towards sight loss prevention could prevent avoidable sight loss. Having a routine eye test can detect eye conditions before they affect vision and preserve vision. However, eye tests can come at a financial cost to the individual. Any increased focus on prevention should consider this cost and also consider promoting the benefits of eye tests.
• We also believe that early intervention and signposting to emotional support in the eye care journey is key to preventing worsening mental health.

How do I take part?

You can complete the consultation online by visiting the Change NHS website, where you’ll need to share your email address and create a password to save your progress. There are a variety of different formats available for viewing the questions, including Easy Read, PDF and HTML, with details available on the consultation’s accessibility page.

You can arrange to submit a response via an alternative format such as over the phone by contacting [email protected] or calling 02078455880. The address for postal responses is: Thinks Insight and Strategy, West Wing, Somerset House, London, United Kingdom, WC2R 1LA.

If you have any feedback about the accessibility of the consultation and would prefer to send this feedback through RNIB, please contact the Policy and Campaigns team by email at [email protected] or by calling 0303 123 9999.