
Professor Sarah Bate
People with prosopagnosia, a cognitive condition more commonly known as face blindness, struggle to recognise familiar faces. The condition affects both children and adults and can have a severe impact on their educational and occupational progression, as well as their everyday life.
It’s estimated around 1 in 50 people have the condition, but awareness was low, meaning those with prosopagnosia struggled to get the diagnosis and support they needed.
The work of Professor Sarah Bate and her team at Bournemouth University has helped to raise the public profile of prosopagnosia and led to formal recognition of the disorder by the NHS.
Following a roundtable discussion in the House of Commons where the BU team presented their research findings, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) formally recognised prosopagnosia as a health condition.
Subsequently, the first ever page on prosopagnosia was launched on the NHS Choices website, under the A-Z of conditions.
Professor Bate reviewed the content for the page, and it links directly to the resources produced by the BU team, including a symptom checklist and evidence-based coping strategies.
Since the page was launched in 2014, more than 20,000 people across the world have used the resources.
Prior to NHS listing, prosopagnosia could not be listed in UK medical records – there was simply no box to check. Professional users – including clinical staff, educational and occupational psychologists and psychiatrists - have highlighted the role NHS recognition and BU resources have played in enhancing their ability to diagnose and support people with prosopagnosia.
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