The government has been urged to take urgent action to ensure brain injury support and rehabilitation services are ‘fit for purpose’, according to a new report published this week.
The report, Time for Change: Acquired Brain Injury and Neurorehabilitation, has been published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Acquired Brain Injury and calls on the government to strengthen access to timely rehabilitation as well as improving the recognition of Acquired Brain Injury (brain injury caused by events after birth).The report, which has been backed by brain injury charity Headway, also draws attention to the need for government departments to work together by highlighting the impact of acquired brain injury on people in schools, the criminal justice system, disability benefits and other areas.Key recommendations, which we support, include:
Neurorehabilitation
- A national review of neurorehabilitation 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;
- 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.
Education
- Acquired Brain Injury should be included in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice;
- All education professionals should have a minimum level of awareness and understanding about Acquired Brain Injury and the educational requirements of children and young people with this condition;
- The Acquired Brain Injury Card for the under 18s (produced by the Child Brain Injury Trust) should be promoted in all schools, hospitals and Local Education Authorities.
Criminal Justice
- Criminal justice procedures, practices and processes need to be reformed to take into account the needs of individuals with Acquired Brain Injury;
- Training and information about Acquired Brain Injury is required across all services including the police, court, probation and prison services.
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.
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.