Vital support for eye clinics and patients - 30 year anniversary
ECLO 30 "The Return to Rotherham" event movie release.
OK, it’s not a movie yet, but maybe it should be! It’s certainly a ray of hope amidst the gloomy picture that is often painted of the NHS.
Having visited several clinics recently it’s absolutely obvious that ECLOs and NHS staff are working brilliantly together to support people with sight loss.
Since 1994 the service has gone viral with now 130 RNIB ECLOs across the UK and by the end of this year there will be one in every major UK hospital.
Last week we returned to Rotherham and met the first ever ECLO, Kevin Hewish and the current ECLO Gabrielle Bower as well as patients and clinicians.
We are celebrating the anniversary but also trying to raise awareness to make sure all people with sight loss and eye care staff, know about ECLOs, as patients who don’t see one often tell us they feel lost and alone.
Of course RNIB is also developing its Eye Care Support Pathway which will see patients being referred to ECLOs at different points in their sight loss journey, and our new Waiting Well service to check on patient welfare while people are waiting for appointments or support.
Life-changing service for patients with sight loss in Rotherham celebrates key anniversary
A life-changing support service for people diagnosed with sight loss has marked its 30th anniversary in Rotherham.
Eye Care Liaison Officers employed by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in partnership with the NHS, provide crucial emotional and practical support for people diagnosed with sight loss.
RNIB has employed an ECLO at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust’s eye clinic, now based at Rotherham Community Health Centre on Greasbrough Road, for 30 years. Since then, the service has grown to 130 RNIB ECLOs and by the end of 2024 there will be an ECLO in every major UK hospital eye clinic. Other sight-loss organisations employ a further 60 ECLOs.
Kevin Hewish, 56, who was the very first RNIB ECLO at Rotherham in 1994, said:
Stevie Johnson was Orthoptist at the clinic in 1994 and was so impressed by the ECLO service she ended up working for RNIB and is now the charity’s Clinical Lead.
She said:
Current ECLO Gabrielle Bower was herself inspired to become an ECLO after her husband Matt Bower, who has sight loss, previously held the role. She said:
Jean Derrick, 91, is a current patient at Rotherham eye clinic and has had vital support from ECLO Gabrielle Bower. She said:
Gabrielle helped Jean apply for tax reductions, benefits and for a discounted TV license and referred her for home visits with partner organisation Rotherham Sight and Sound.
Mohammed Jabir, Senior Consultant Ophthalmologist at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust has been at Rotherham for 20 years and has followed the ECLO service from its inception. He said:
About 50 per cent of ECLOs are themselves blind or partially sighted and have often been inspired to help others by their own experiences of care given by ECLOs. ECLOs now receive professional training accredited by RNIB.
RNIB has recently developed its Eye Care Support Pathway which aims to ensure patients are supported at every stage of their sight loss journey, from visiting an optician through to living in the modern world with sight loss. ECLOs will play an increasingly vital role in receiving referrals at key stages of the patient’s journey.
For more information about ECLOs, call RNIB’s Helpline on 0303 123 9999, or visit RNIB’s website.
Notes to Editors
All media enquiries to Martin Elvery on [email protected] or 07543 508908. For urgent enquiries out-of-hours, please call 07968 482812.
You can read about the full history of RNIB ECLOs here.
RNIB is marking this significant 30 years milestone by celebrating the vital work of its ECLOs in supporting patients who have been diagnosed with sight loss. As the population ages and demand increases, this year more than ever, we want to ensure that all people diagnosed with vision loss know about and have access to ECLOs and that staff in all hospitals and eye clinics are aware of this vital service.