Leicestershire sight loss charity Vista at risk of closure at the end of March

An “innovative” charity that has serviced the blind and partially sighted community and those with dual sensory loss in Leicestershire and Rutland for more than 160 years is facing closure at the end of March unless £2 million can be raised to save it.

Vista, which has around 8000 active service users, has been “experiencing significant financial challenges,” a notice posted on its website on 17 February said.

The charity added that, despite having a clear strategy and a strong plan for the future, it no longer has the cash reserves to continue operating after March.

A sum of £2 million is required to ensure Vista’s future, the website notice said. An emergency appeal had reached £22,500 at the time of writing.

The charity provides ongoing, holistic care for those with sight loss and their families and carers, including funding an eye clinic liaison officer (ECLO) service. It is the only local charity to provide such services.

All current service users had been contacted ahead of the notice being posted, the charity said.

Jean Voller, a trustee of Vista for the past four years and currently chair of the charity’s board, told OT that an increase in utility bills and national insurance contributions, paired with a general increase in the cost of living and a reduction in grant income, had led to the charity’s current situation. A final decision was made at the end of January, Voller said.

“The impact [of closure] would be tremendous, because we are the only local charity for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland that supports visually impaired people,” Voller told OT.

The charity’s services include support groups, coffee meet-ups, the Tech Together support group, and an active children and young people’s section. Vista also provides guidance to workplaces, and works closely with peripatetic teachers in schools.

Vista noted that 550 children and young people regularly use its services, and that the charity currently has 35 members of staff.

Voller said: “We’re a very people-orientated organisation. We know everybody; people know us. They can call us, and we have the ECLO service as well. We are there from cradle to grave, from the first point of diagnosis.”

She added: “All those things – the social side of it, where people learn their independence and can achieve their goals and their ambitions – would stop.”

The charity is involved in ongoing discussions with local commissioners about how statutory services can continue if Vista does close at the end of March, Voller told OT.

The issue was also raised by MP for Leicester South, Shockat Adam, in the House of Commons in late February.

Adam, an optometrist and practice owner in Leicester, has previously visited Vista and was aware of the charity’s work before it was threatened with closure, Voller told OT.

Addressing the minister of state for care, Stephen Kinnock MP, Adam emphasised “the devastating effect on the National Health Service and the social care service” if Vista was to shut down.

He requested that Kinnock meet with local MPs and representatives from University Hospital Leicester to discuss what could be done to save the charity.

Kinnock advised that Adam was welcome to write to him to discuss the issue further.

Voller confirmed to OT that, at the time of writing, Vista had not received any communication from the Government regarding the charity’s potential closure.

Vista

A children’s basketball session hosted by Vista

The impact on patients

Mervyn Thomas, an ophthalmologist at Leicester Royal Infirmary, told OT: “It will be absolutely profound and devastating for our patients if Vista does close.”

The NHS treats the eye condition, but Vista treats the person living with the consequences of the condition in a holistic way, Thomas said.

This work “represents an enormous amount of practical, emotional and social support, that falls outside what a hospital clinic can deliver,” he told OT.

Thomas runs an ocular genetics clinic and the vast majority of his patients are reliant on Vista’s support and care, he explained.

Thomas noted that many patients will be terrified by the prospect of losing their livelihood, independence and even sense of identity after an appointment in his clinic.

An ECLO, funded by Vista, is available directly after appointments to provide patients with vital support, he said.

“We see day-in, day-out, how much impact Vista as a charity has on our patients. It will be a big loss for us,” Thomas added.

Vista

A fundraising walk for Vista on Snowdon

The question of referring patients

Hassnain Safdar, vice chair of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Local Optical Committee and an optometry practice owner, told OT that he has seen firsthand how invaluable Vista is in empowering people whose lives have been affected by visual impairment, including allowing them a level of independence that they might have lost otherwise.

“We all want that social connection, and Vista provides that, with their support groups and forums, and patient liaisons,” Safdar said.

He added: “It’s devastating for us as a community. In Leicestershire and Rutland, we will feel the effects if Vista is to go, if we unfortunately can’t find that level of funding to keep them afloat.”

As a practitioner, there will be challenges in where to refer patients if Vista’s services are no longer active, Safdar noted.

“They work in such an innovative way, with patients, that I think it is going to be challenging to the whole low vision community, but also as primary care practitioners,” he told OT.

Feedback from patients has praised Vista’s patience and personalised support, and the lack of this will be felt, Safdar said.

He noted that patients trust optometrists to recommend local support services, and that word of mouth goes a long way – so whether they continue to receive support if Vista does close depends on the level of trust and how confident they feel in approaching a service that is new or unfamiliar to them.

“If we do come across a patient with visual impairment, it’s the unknown of where we send them, and what support we can offer them,” Safdar said.

A call for support

Vista’s chief executive officer, Beth Brook, said: “Vista has been supporting people with sight loss for over 160 years, but today we are facing one of the most serious challenges in our history.

“Like many charities, we are dealing with an uncertain economic environment alongside an increased need for our services. Without urgent financial support, we may not be able to continue delivering the services that thousands of local people rely on every day.”

Brook added: “We are doing everything we can to protect our service users, but we cannot do this alone. We urgently need our community to stand with us so that Vista can continue to be there for people with sight loss now and in the future.”

Voller told OT that Vista’s downsizing strategy, which includes a focus on fundraising, a move away from residential care homes and a reduction in staff, is working, but that the charity has simply “run out of time and money” to continue seeing it through.

Work will continue if £2 million is raised by the deadline, she said, adding that the charity has approached local businesses and corporates for support.

Speaking to those who might be in a position to support the charity, Voller said: “We have been here for the community for heading towards 170 years, and now we would really like people to support us, so that people facing sight loss don’t have to do it alone.”

The support offered is not just for the visually impaired community, but also for their family, carers and friends, Voller emphasised.

She added: “Without this, they are going to be left with a gap in services and support.”

Visit Vista’s emergency fundraising appeal on JustGiving here.