Story of Change: Henshaws’ First Step Telephone Helpline

In partnership with the NHS Greater Manchester Mental Wellbeing programme, Henshaws created a new proactive referral model that ensures people newly diagnosed with a visual impairment receive timely, specialist support without needing to self-refer. By encouraging professionals to make direct referrals, the helpline reached 678 individuals in its first year, connecting a wider and more diverse community to life-changing support. The model has proven more compassionate and cost-effective, reducing inequalities in access, improving mental wellbeing, and easing pressure on NHS services. Now embedded into Henshaws’ way of working, this proactive approach demonstrates how community-led, data-informed interventions can help people regain confidence, independence, and hope at the point of diagnosis.