Some 1,000 Merton patients could be struggling to access important health information, a charity has claimed.

Many blind or partially sighted patients are not provided with appointment letters and test results in large print or braille, according to the chief executive of Colliers Wood organisation Mertonvision.

Last week the charity, alongside representatives from the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB), met with health bosses from NHS Sutton and Merton and asked the authority to make information more accessible.

Mertonvision chief executive Fran Hibbert, who predicted the problem could affect 1,000 people in borough, said: “Sadly we know only too well blind and partially sighted patients are not receiving confidential health information in formats they can read. It is completely wrong and inappropriate for this to still be happening to them when they don't want to have to rely on other people to read their personal and sometimes life changing information."

She said the meeting, which took place at the charity’s headquarters in Clarendon Road, was “extremely encouraging”.

Jane Philips, a 63-year-old Sutton resident who is registered blind, urged the authority to do more after she struggled to get vital information to help her control her diabetes.

She said: "I'd all but given up asking for information in Braille but as most people know, with diabetes diet and how you control it is vitally important.

“I was given a diet sheet in standard print that I couldn't read. I asked for it to be provided in Braille or audio and was told, sorry but no, that isn't possible. It made me feel so annoyed."

Richard Holmes, RNIB’s campaign officer for London, said: “Within the NHS the needs of patients who speak other languages are quite correctly taken seriously. The same can't be said of people whose sight problems don't allow them to read standard print.”

Dr Howard Freeman, joint medical director of NHS Sutton and Merton, said: “Following feedback from patients we have already taken steps to improve the accessibility of information regarding the breast cancer screening services we commission from St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust for visually impaired and blind patients.

“Our contracts with healthcare providers require them to make services accessible for disabled patients, including blind and visually impaired people. Following the feedback from local people at last week’s meeting, we will look at how we can continue to work with our providers to ensure improvements are made.”

“To support this, we will also be working with Merton Vision and the Royal National Institute for the Blind to develop policy and guidelines on the format and type of information that are needed “