RNIB responds to Chancellor’s first budget of the new government
Today, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves laid out the UK Government’s spending plans, the first Labour Budget for 14 years. In the next few weeks, we’ll unpack all of the detail from today’s Budget and how it will impact blind and partially sighted people. For now, here’s our initial reaction to what was announced.
Healthcare
RNIB welcomes the additional investment announced for the NHS. This funding will be crucial to tackle the long waiting lists for ophthalmology. In England alone, there are 608,000 people waiting for their first consultant-led ophthalmology treatment as of August 2024 – with over 210,000 waiting for longer than the 18 week target. Ophthalmology also has the highest number of people waiting for follow-up appointments, higher than any other NHS speciality.
Although the Chancellor has pledged that investment will be in place to help ensure people wait no longer than 18 weeks for appointments, it’s important to note that a number of eye conditions require time critical treatment. In many cases, patients would need to be seen far sooner than the 18 weeks target to prevent sight loss.
We agree with the Chancellor’s comments that a cash injection alone will not fix the NHS; reform and transformation is needed to improve eye care services and prevent avoidable sight loss. The ten-year plan also has the potential to overcome some of the barriers that blind and partially sighted people face when receiving reasonable adjustments in healthcare, including getting health information in accessible formats.
Ensuring that blind and partially sighted people get equitable access to health care will help the UK Government’s prevention mission. It’s crucial that the shift to digital, including the NHS App and patient portals, are designed in consultation with accessibility experts and representative groups. We also recommend in-depth user testing by blind and partially sighted people, and for non-digital methods to continue to be available.
Social care
RNIB also welcomes the Chancellor’s announcement to provide additional funding to local authorities, allowing them to deliver essential public services. This includes £600 million designated for social care services. It’s vital sensory support services, including vision rehabilitation, are able to benefit from this investment.
Although this additional investment is a step in the right direction, more resources will be needed to address underfunding across the social care sector, including within vision rehabilitation services. We will be monitoring the impact of this announcement closely.
Employment and welfare
It’s disappointing not to get clarity on the UK Government’s plans to reform health and disability benefits, with very little detail in today’s budget, including how the Government plans to save £3 billion from the benefits bill over the next four years. We will continue campaigning for a benefit system where people can afford an adequate standard of living and manage the extra costs that come with sight loss. In our conversations with Ministers, we will also be stressing all employment support for disabled people must be voluntary and not impact people’s entitlement to financial support through the social security system.
We welcome the funding announced to support disabled people into work, including £115 million for Connect to Work, a new supported employment programme. For this to succeed, ongoing Access to Work delays must be tackled. Employers involved in the Connect to Work programme should also be encouraged to take part in RNIB’s Visibly Better Employer Standard, so they consistently provide an accessible and inclusive workplace.
Education
We’re pleased to hear of the £1 billion uplift in funding for special educational needs and disabilities provision. It’s vital this funding is ringfenced and reaches local authority vision impairment (VI) services.
We’ve previously welcomed the UK Government’s commitment to recruit 6,500 teachers and reiterate our call for this to include Qualified Teachers of children and young people with Vision Impairment (QTVIs).
Getting around
The increase in funding to intercity and local public transport will benefit blind and partially sighted passengers if it results in an increase in services. It’s vital that these additional services, and rolling stock, have accessibility factored in from the beginning.
More money to maintain roads should help fix poor quality pavement and road infrastructure. Potholes are a tripping hazard for blind and partially sighted pedestrians and can result in cyclists cycling on pavements rather than roads, becoming an additional moving hazard.
We’re concerned, however, about the 50 per cent increase on the cap for single bus fares, from £2 to £3. While many people with sight loss have concessionary travel passes that allow them free or reduced bus travel, many fall short of the criteria, are not sure of the criteria or application process, or face similar difficulties. Additionally, many blind and partially sighted people travel only when accompanied by a friend, family member or carer, so this fare increase could result in more difficulty for people with sight loss getting around.
Cost of living
As we head into the winter, the UK Government’s extension of the Household Support Fund is welcome and much needed.
With nearly 80 per cent of people with sight loss aged 65 or older, we remain concerned that the UK Government has removed universal entitlement to the Winter Fuel Payment for pensioners. We continue to support Age UK’s call for the decision to be reversed and RNIB is promoting awareness of the importance of checking entitlement to Pension Credit through our social media channels, as a qualifying benefit for retaining the Winter Fuel Payment.