SeeAbility Announced As PES Charity of the Year

21 April 2023

PES are delighted to announce that we have selected SeeAbility to be our charity of the year for the next 2 years.

We chose SeeAbility not only because we have huge respect for what they achieved, but because their values are very closely aligned with our own underlying principles of ensuring we remain: ‘patient centred, collaborative, inclusive, trustworthy and sustainably-minded’.

We firmly believe that our strong strategic connection with SeeAblility will make our working relationship particularly meaningful as well as highly successful and productive. As well as sharing common strategic goals, both of our organisations work with communities that already greatly respect our individual achievements thus far, and who we know will support us very enthusiastically in all our joint endeavours going forward.

Founded over 220 years ago, SeeAbility was originally registered under the name ‘The Royal School for the Blind’ and is one of the oldest learning disability charities in the world. Under its banner of ‘people first’ it has pioneered the implementation of a range projects and programmes that set out to

• improve people’s quality of life through ambitious, inclusive and specialist support
• deliver the eye care that people they need, wherever they live
• empower more people to get involved, as equal citizens, in changing society for the better.

The charity is committed to helping individuals live ambitious lives and achieve things they never thought possible – whether this is meeting new people, trying new experiences or finding work in their local community.

Commenting on the formalisation of the recent alliance, Dharmesh Patel, PES CEO, said:

“We look forward to working with this highly progressive, visionary organisation to highlight their excellent work and help raise funds for their very worthwhile cause – which is to support people who have learning disabilities or autism, and who also may also have sight loss, to ‘live, love, thrive and belong.”

Lisa Hopkins, CEO, SeeAbility said:

“SeeAbility is delighted to be working with Primary Eyecare Services and to be named as their Charity of the Year. Too many people with learning disabilities and autism are still missing out on primary eye care and the glasses they need. Together, our organisations have worked to establish ‘Easy Eye Care’ LOCSU pathways in several regions. This support from Primary Eye Care colleagues and partners will enable our Eye Care Champions to raise greater awareness of, and engage more people in, our vital work.”

Our two organisations are working closely together to plan a series of fund-raising events and activities throughout the course of the year – watch this space for more details about how to get involved.

Relaunch of Learning Disabilities Eye Care Pathway with a Single Point of Access

In the meantime, we are very much looking forward to re-launching SeeAbility & LOCSU’s Easy Eye Care service pathway for people with learning disabilities in May where commissioned through PES. Because people with learning disabilities are ten times more likely to develop eyecare issues, it is critical that a more fit-for-purpose framework is embedded across the NHS commissioning infrastructure. The Easy Eye Care Service is a great improvement in this respect, in that it allows people with learning disabilities to be allocated more time for their eye tests, or several shorter appointments if more appropriate to their needs. The clinicians who deliver this service have undergone additional, specialist training and are experts in the field.

PES has developed a Single Point of Access (SPoA) system and infrastructure to support the new pathway which will see an enhanced access modality for patients with learning disabilities and/or their carers. More news about the re-launch and how it will be rolled out will follow very soon – watch this space.

PES is very much looking forward to playing a significant role in helping people with learning disabilities to rectify both diagnosed and undiagnosed sight problems at the earliest opportunity. We know this has the potential to change people’s lives beyond recognition.

We encourage practitioners and practice team members to undertake the WOPEC/LOCSU PWLD accreditation to support delivery of this pathway if this services is commissioned in your area.

Currently we are commissioned to deliver this service in

• Cheshire & Merseyside
• Greater Manchester
• Lancashire & South Cumbria
• County Durham
• Sutton