Charity To Use Action For Brain Injury Week To Raise Awareness

Brain injury charity Headway has expressed concerns about public sector financial cuts.

The organisation believes that brain injury sufferers are finding it hard to access the level of support they need because of budget restrictions placed on local authorities and the NHS.

Communications manager at the group Luke Griggs commented: "Headway groups and branches are under increasing pressure to continue to maintain or develop their vital services.

"Restricting access to such services hampers the ability of brain injury survivors to lead independent lives and increases the likelihood of them requiring additional state support in the future."

He added that Headway will use Action for Brain Injury (ABI) Week 2014 in order to raise awareness of the impact that budget cuts are having on people who are recovering from a serious head injury.

Scheduled to take place between May 12th and 18th, the event will carry the tagline "Don't cut me out!", which refers to patients who are being isolated by the government's financial cutbacks.

"It is clear from speaking with people directly affected by brain injury … that funding cuts are having an increasingly negative impact across the UK," Mr Griggs continued.

ABI Week will also feature Hats for Headway Day on May 16th, which is an initiative that encourages people to wear hats to show their support for the cause.

Headway is also urging brain injury sufferers to fill in a short survey, which will give the organisation a better idea of exactly how budget cuts are affecting people's lives.

The charity estimates that a minimum of one million UK residents are currently living with the long-term effects of a brain injury and this figure is expected to grow sharply.

Indeed, statistics published by the group show that somebody is admitted to hospital with a brain injury every 90 seconds in the UK and 213,752 people received treatment in 2011-12 alone.

Between 10,000 and 20,000 traumatic brain injuries are recorded across the country in an average year.

Our serious injury solicitors could help you claim compensation if you have suffered a serious head or brain injury as the result of an accident. See our Brain & Head Injury Compensation Claims page for more information.

Expert Opinion

At Irwin Mitchell we have long supported Headway’s Action for Brain Injury Week as it is an important milestone in the calendar where there is a real opportunity to raise awareness of the impact of serious injuries. <br/> <br/>"I think that Headway are absolutely right to focus on the impact of public funding cuts for people recovering from head and brain injury, whatever the political backdrop. Day in and day out people with brain injuries and their carers in some parts of the UK are finding themselves without access to specialist services and in my experience funding issues often lie behind this. <br/> <br/>“Where we work with individuals with compensation packages, getting access to the best possible treatment and rehabilitation helps in maximising the chances of recovery. Our own research has shown that early and better quality rehabilitation can save the NHS and social services further cost in the longer term by having a stronger positive impact on the individuals concerned, reducing their needs for follow up care. Those without private funding options still need the best quality of support that the NHS can provide if they are to have the same opportunities in life.” Neil Whiteley - Partner