Meet Callum, our new Patient Support Worker in Edinburgh

Our Patient Support team at Visibility Scotland has recently expanded! We were joined by two new members of staff in September: Ali Lees and Callum Lancashire. Ali has joined the team providing our Patient Support services in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Callum has joined the team based at the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh.

Callum shared this experience form his first few weeks in post:

“We were recently visited by a service user who had just started their first job at an investment company. They were struggling to find the right tech to help them in their new role. I discussed different options with the service user and their parent. I also outlined different support services that could help. The service user’s parent became quite frustrated as they felt they hadn’t received any help in the past, even though they had asked for it.

I was able to share my own experience of when I lost vision in my eye. Not a lot of help was offered to me at the point of diagnosis so I could empathise with how the service user’s parent was feeling. The great thing about our Patient Support Service is that we’re able to act as a bridge between the eye clinic and community services, helping the people we meet to access the right support and services for them.

Once I explained this, the atmosphere completely changed. The service user and their parent left happy in the knowledge that there is support available and that we would refer them on to the appropriate services. This sort of early intervention is absolutely vital when someone is newly diagnosed with sight loss. Being able to link patients with the right service at the right time is exactly what we are about!’

Read more about our Patient Support Services:

Patient Support Service: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Patient Support Service: Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion, Edinburgh

Patient Support Service: St. John’s Hospital, Livingston

Paediatric Patient Support Service: Lothian-wide