Westminster Hosts Reception Event 22 May 2019

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Westminster hosts a reception for Acquired Brain Injury survivors The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Acquired Brain Injury (APPG on ABI) brought together survivors of ABI and their MPs at a reception on the 22nd May 2019 in the Speaker’s House, Westminster, London.

The aim of the event was to raise awareness of ABI, the need to improve neurorehabilitation services across the UK, and to discuss the APPG’s feedback on the response by the Department for Health and Social Care (D
HSC) to its report launched last year ‘Acquired Brain Injury and Neurorehabilitation - Time for Change’.

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Press Release

22 May 2019

Westminster hosts a reception for Acquired Brain Injury survivors The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Acquired Brain Injury (APPG on ABI) brought together survivors of ABI and their MPs at a reception on the 22nd May 2019 in the Speaker’s House, Westminster, London. The aim of the event was to raise awareness of ABI, the need to improve neurorehabilitation services across the UK, and to discuss the APPG’s feedback on the response by the

Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to its report launched last year ‘Acquired Brain Injury and Neurorehabilitation - Time for Change’.

Speaking at the reception, Chris Bryant MP and APPG on ABI Chair said: “On behalf of the many experts and organisations that inputted to the ‘Acquired Brain Injury and Neurorehabilitation – Time for Change’ report, the APPG on ABI welcomes the feedback from the Department for Health and Social Care received earlier this year. There are some examples of positive action but much more focused and coordinated attention is required in order to address directly the report’s recommendations.”

As well as the DHSC, individuals with ABI impact on several government departments, including the Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Education, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Ministry of Justice. The APPG on ABI is calling for the government to work in a coordinated and consistent way by bringing departments together, as a matter of urgency, to form a taskforce to address the issues and recommendations outlined in the report.

The report, and the APPG on ABI feedback to the response by the DHSC, are available on the United Kingdom Acquired Brain Injury (UKABIF) website: https://www.ukabif.org.uk/campaigns/appg-report/.

ENDS

Notes to editor

Acquired Brain Injury
ABI is a hidden epidemic with life-long consequences. Neurorehabilitation is a vital part of the brain injury care pathway that ensures the best possible recovery for survivors - it is one of the most cost-effective treatments in the NHS. But neurorehabilitation services are variable and difficult to access, in-patient beds are lacking, community services are poor, and there is a lack of skilled personnel. The APPG on ABI is driving that change for brain injury survivors and published a report last year ‘Acquired Brain Injury and Neurorehabilitation - Time for Change’. Its recommendations are:

‘Acquired Brain Injury and Neurorehabilitation - Time for Change’

Key recommendations

Neurorehabilitation

· Rehabilitation Prescriptions should be available to all individuals with an Acquired Brain Injury on discharge from acute care, held by the individual with copies made available to the general practitioner

· A national review of neurorehabilitation is required to ensure service provision is adequate and consistent throughout the UK

· The Government should collate reliable statistics for the number of individuals presenting at Accident and Emergency Departments with Acquired Brain Injury, and record the numbers that require and receive neurorehabilitation

· There should be a significant increase in neurorehabilitation beds and neurorehabilitation professionals so that every trauma centre has a consultant in rehabilitation medicine, and individuals with an Acquired Brain Injury have access to neurorehabilitation

· Cooperation between key government departments (i.e. the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Work and Pensions) is required to review funding for in-patient and community neurorehabilitation services

Sport–related concussion

· The Government should ensure that there is collaborative research to evaluate and improve practical assessment tools, develop objective diagnostic markers and gain a deeper understanding of the recovery process and long-term risks of sport-related concussion

· An enhanced education campaign should be implemented in schools to improve awareness and understanding of sport-related concussion with the support of government departments (i.e. Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care)

· Sport, government and professional clinical bodies must work collaboratively to improve professionals’ knowledge of concussion management

· The National Health Service should develop better pipelines for the diagnosis and care of sport-related concussion

Welfare benefits system

· All benefits assessors should be trained to understand the problems that affect individuals with an Acquired Brain Injury

· Re-assessment for welfare benefits for people with Acquired Brain Injury should only take place every five years

· A brain injury expert should be on the consultation panel when changes in the welfare system are proposed

UKABIF

UKABIF aims to promote better understanding of all aspects of Acquired Brain Injury; to educate, inform and provide networking opportunities for professionals, service providers, planners and policy makers and to campaign for better services in the UK. UKABIF is a membership organisation and charity, established in 1998 by a coalition of organisations working in the field of Acquired Brain Injury.

For further information, please contact:
Chloë Hayward, UKABIF
T: 0345 6080788 M: 07903 887655
E: [email protected]
www.ukabif.org.uk

Louise Blakeborough, Chapter Five
M: 07831 444789
E: [email protected]