A CHARITY is calling on GPs to ensure they are meeting a new standard to help the disabled.

Dorset Blind Association urges practices to make sure they are meeting the new NHS Accessible Information Standard when they are dealing with patients who suffer from sight loss.

The Accessible Information Standard aims to make sure that people who are disabled, or have a sensory loss, get health information in a way they can fully and easily access and understand.

The charity says for people with serious sight loss, especially those registered as blind or partially sighted, reading information in standard size print is almost impossible. To be easily and readily accessible, as the Standard requires, most need to receive information in an alternative format. For some this could be as easy as a much larger font size, but for many will mean an audio format or even Braille.

Jonathan Holyhead, Dorset Blind Association CEO said: “I’m sure all GPs in Dorset know that, by law, all organisations that provide NHS care should have been following and fully implementing the Accessible Information Standard since July 31 this year. But I keep hearing of blind or partially sighted people in Dorset still receiving communications from their GP in a format they cannot access without help from friends or family, which they shouldn’t need to do.”