Service Delivery Goal

Themes and Directions:

NCBI is the major provider of disability related services to people who are blind or vision impaired living in Ireland. The provision of services has and will continue to be the basis for the existence of this organisation and as such requires considerable attention. The successes achieved in our other goals will ultimately impact on the quality and quantity of the services delivered both directly and indirectly to people who are blind or vision impaired throughout Ireland.

NCBI will work together with the people who use our services and staff to develop nationally consistent outcome measurements to evaluate the relevance of our services for each person. One of the ways we can do this is by using technology to maximum advantage by the further development of our Management and Tracking System (MATS) into a fully comprehensive Contact Relations Management System (CRMS). This will result in a service user-focused, technology-based system of case management.

Based on this information we will develop new and innovative services to meet the identified needs of our service user base.

Key Activity 1:

We will provide services of the highest quality to people who are blind or vision impaired.

Supporting actions:

• Audit regional services to ensure quality and consistency throughout NCBI, and to support this work through the establishment of a ‘quality office’.

• Develop and implement an evidence-based system, whereby people who use the services of NCBI may assess their experience of service provision and measure the outcome/impact of the interaction. (CRMs)

• Benchmark our services against international best practice in both the range and delivery of systems for services across the life cycle of people who are blind or vision impaired.
  
  

Key Activity 2:

We will plan developments to ensure equitable access to all services

Supporting actions:

• Develop fully equipped resource centres in each of the four HSE regions, to be known as regional centres.

• Ensure availability of all NCBI services from these centres.

• Provide for centre-based, individual and group training in all aspects of support and rehabilitation.

• Offer a comprehensive display of adaptive aids and assistive devices.
  
• Develop local satellite centres in larger towns and cities as resources and funding permit to support regional centres.
  
  

Key Activity 3:

We will offer services and programmes appropriate to the needs of people at different stages in the life cycle.

Supporting actions:

• Provide services which embrace vision rehabilitation, recreation and leisure, education, vocational and employment support, technology provision, community awareness and environmental access.

• Design new services for blind or vision impaired people who are older. These services will mesh with local and age provisions of the HSE and other service providers.

• Acquire a knowledge and expertise in the issues relating to people who experience deaf-blindness and/or multiple disability, towards ensuring that a range of holistic services are available to them.

• Recruit key staff members and source expertise to ensure that a holistic service is available from NCBI and/or other agencies to children who are blind or vision impaired.
  
  

Key Activity 4:

We will ensure that the principles and practices of Person Centred Planning become an integral part of NCBI’s work.

Supporting actions:

• Develop a way of working which will guarantee that service users participate in decisions about the services they receive and the way they have them delivered.

• Introduce an effective method of assessment to establish what each service user perceives as being essential to the promotion of their well being and quality of life.

• Develop a method of working whereby a plan of action linked to desired outcomes based on assessment will be agreed.
  
  

Key Activity 5:

We will provide new and innovative services based on identified need through a rigorous consultation process

Supporting actions:

• Further develop a volunteer corps as an additional support service to work alongside NCBI paid staff as colleagues.

• Innovate new peer support services to be co-ordinated and supported by NCBI frontline staff.

• Provide a range of services with a fee for service approach which will help meet the costs of NCBI supporting third-party obligations under the provisions of The Education of Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 and The Disability Act 2005.

• Develop a call-centre contact type service which will allow NCBI to offer services over an extended day of 13 hours and into weekends.

• Develop an integrated digital library system (IDLS) which will put in place new systems and methodologies to integrate and streamline the Library’s present work and also to create new services for service users in all user profiles.

• Develop the provision of indirect services in media format conversion to meet the anticipated rapid growth in the future.

• Promote and encourage the use of Braille as a literacy tool.