Patients with sensory impairment face higher safety risks, commissioner warns

England’s patient safety commissioner has warned that patients with vision or hearing impairments are at greater risk from medicines and medical devices because their views are not sufficiently considered when services are designed.

Henrietta Hughes said that this especially applied to people with impaired vision and diabetes, who described receiving “degrading” treatment in the NHS.

More than two million people in the UK are estimated to have visual impairment, and more than 18 million adults have hearing loss, deafness, or tinnitus. In a new report the commissioner has highlighted the “persistent challenges” these patients face in getting healthcare information, which is putting their safety at risk.1

The report, which drew on focus groups, survey responses, and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority’s (MHRA) “yellow card” safety reports, found a …