Blind people in England at risk from ‘shocking’ social care delays, finds report

Terry Quinn and his guide dog, Spencer. He said he was in despair until he got the help he needed from Bradford council. Photograph: RNIB

The lives of thousands of blind and partially sighted people are being put at risk by delays in vital care that they have a legal right to after being assessed as visually impaired, according to a report.

More than a quarter of English councils are leaving people who have just been diagnosed as blind waiting more than a year for vision rehabilitation assessments and potentially life-saving support, the report by the RNIB revealed.