Time for change? A new report on brain injury and neurorehabilitation

Acquired brain injury is often a hidden disability with life long consequences. You may be surprised to know that more than 1.3 million people are currently living with the effects of brain injury in the UK and that it is the leading cause of death and disability in the UK. This has a huge effect on the economy, our justice system, our education system and the NHS.

As a result of this, an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Acquired Brain Injury was launched in November 2017 and they published a report, “Time for Change: Acquired Brain Injury and Neurorehabilitation”, on 10 October 2018. The report sets out 5 key recommendations in relation to neurorehabilitation, education, criminal justice, sports-related concussion and the welfare benefits system. Of particular note is a call for the relevant state departments to have a joined up approach to addressing this issue.

How does this impact upon brain injury claimants?

We act for children and adults with brain injuries, so see first-hand the state’s failings when trying to meet the needs of survivors. This can range from a lack of appropriate support in schools, to being denied Personal Independence Payments (PIP) because the person physically looks fine but in reality requires a high level of care and support due to cognitive and behavioural problems. Time for Change is a very welcome report setting out the wide ranging impact the disability has on individuals and the UK as a whole.

At our RWK Goodman Bath office we host a regular network for Professionals in Brain Injury (PIBI). Our last event in December had an open roundtable discussion on the report and applied it to what services we see locally. In particular, the map of neurorehabilitation centres within the report shows a real lack of services across the South West.

If you are a Professional in Brain Injury and would be interested in joining our Bath network then please do contact me on [email protected]. Our next PIBI event is on Tuesday 26 February where we will be discussing multidisciplinary team (MDT) approaches to managing patients with reduced awareness. Hope to see you there!