Charlie Barker

Director of Health and Social Care

8th Floor, Merton House

Stanley Road

Bootle

Merseyside L20 3UU

Dear Ms Moore

I am providing the following information in response to your recent Freedom of Information Request.

Your request is copied below.

Dear John Rowlands,

Rehabilitions Officers for the Visually Impaired are members of

the Occupational Therapy and Sensory Impairment team, Social Care

Directorate and employees of Sefton Council. A rehabillitation

officer (VI) announced at a meeting of the Visual Impairment

Consultation group (possibley in April) of this year, that the

issueing of hand held magnifiers had been withdrawn. No explanation

was given for this withdrawal. If you could inform me of the

authorising body it would enable me to write requesting the reasons

and may appeal for the re-issuing of the hand-held magnifiers.

Could you clarify the people you refer to in the PCT, who may be

issuing hand held magnifiers.

Yours sincerely,

Christine Moore.

The Freedom of Information Act gives a right to access information which is held on record.

It is recorded at the meeting of the Visual Impairment Equipment Service which was held on 11^th December 2006 that magnifiers are the responsibility of the health service.

Present at the meeting were

Mary Johnson SSD - Project Manager (Adults with Physical Disabilities)

Sheila McGuinness SSD - OT Team Manager (South)

Beatrice McIntosh SSD - OT Team Manager (North)

Carl Moore SSD - Rehabilitation Officer

Hilary Butter LVSB - Registration & Assessment Officer

Please see the extract below from that meeting.

Magnifiers, agreed that these are a health responsibility and should all be provided through the Low Vision Clinics. Referral to these is by GP or optician. Beatrice to speak to Nicky re existing stock being transferred to health. Hilary to advise Maria at Walton hospital who runs the Low Vision Clinics. Need to calculate a value for the stock to be transferred.

It is noted that actions related to this matter were to be carried out by Beatrice McIntosh and Hilary Butter.

It is recorded at the meeting of the Visual Impairment Equipment Service which was held on 13^th June 2007 that there were concerns regarding magnifiers and electrical safety.

This is mentioned by Carl Moore, Rehabilitation Officer, in relation to P.A.T. testing, which is a legal requirement for portable electrical appliances.

Present at that meeting were

Mary Johnson HSC - Project Manager (Adults with Physical Disabilities)

Beatrice McIntosh HSC - OT & Sensory Team Manager (North)

Ann Facer HSC - Rehabilitation Officer

Carl Moore HSC - Rehabilitation Officer

Hilary Butter LVSB - Registration & Assessment Officer

Please see the extract below from the notes of the meeting.

Magnifiers, majority of LA's are assessing and giving out.

An issue was raised re PAT testing following an incident.

It is noted that action was to take place in relation to this matter by Carl Moore.

I believe that the reason that magnifiers are no longer supplied by Sefton is due to the fact that they should be supplied by Sefton PCT.

I have contacted Sefon PCT and asked for details of where the Low Vision Clinics are held, but I have not received a response as yet.

If you are unhappy with this decision and believe that magnifiers should be supplied by Sefton Health and Social Care, please write to;

Margaret Milne,

Sefton Health and Social Care

8^th Floor, Merton House

Stanley Road

Bootle

Merseyside L20 3UU.

If you have any complaints about the way this FOI request has been handled, please let me know as soon as possible and I will refer it through the Council's Complaints Procedures or, alternatively, contact the Information Commissioner at The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, Tel 01625 545700, e-mail: [email address].

Yours sincerely

John Rowlands

(Access to Files Officer/ Freedom of Information Officer.)

2

Charlie Barker

Director of Health and Social Care