Harrogate hosts annual conference

20 December 2010

Traditionally based in the Midlands, the setting for this year's Headway Conference was the historic Majestic Hotel in Harrogate. One aspect of the conference that didn't change was the high calibre of speakers, all of whom provided fascinating insights on the day.

Huw Williams addresses delegates The University of Exeter's Professor Huw Williams was the first speaker to take to the stage, delivering the results of his team's study entitled What Doesn't Kill You, Can Make You Stronger.

The study, published in the journal Psychology and Health, was conducted in partnership with Headway and based on the results of a survey in 2008 that looked at the self-perceptions of brain injury survivors.

Huw reported that while initial findings suggested that prejudice against those with brain injury is rife, further analysis of the results produced a more positive and life affirming message. Indeed, surprisingly the findings showed that greater severity of injury is linked to greater life satisfaction and stronger personal identity.

"These results show the importance of taking into account the social aspects of rehabilitation following brain injury," said Huw.

"To this end, Headway plays a vital role in enabling people to regain their place in society."

Gordon Ashton OBE was both entertaining and informative Gordon Ashton OBE was next to address the delegates. Gordon used his extensive experience as a district judge to discuss the Mental Capacity Act (MCA).

In his presentation, Gordon explained why capacity has to be assessed, by whom and how. He went on to describe the differing tests used, explaining there are tests to assess varying aspects of capacity. He then provided delegates with an overview of the MCA and its implications for people with brain injury. Gordon also took time to entertain delegates with a clever and witty poem in honour of the conference.

Alcohol and substance misuse after brain injury was the first topic to be addressed following a break for coffee. Headway's Steve Shears, whose background is in counselling and psychology, shared his experiences of helping people affected by brain injury who have an uneasy relationship with drugs, alcohol or solvents.

Chris Carter and Lynne Edwards from the Association of Independent Visitors (UK) then joined forces to deliver their presentation entitled In your own best interests - who says?

The Majestic Hotel was true to its name Following on from Gordon's talk, Chris and Lynne also looked at the MCA, addressing why it is so important for Court of Protection Visitors to accurately assess the client's view when making decisions.

Following an enjoyable lunch, which was sponsored by Pannone LLP, Nick Hedley bravely shared his own personal experiences of trying to get back to work following his brain injury.

In 2003, Nick was found unconscious in a supermarket car park in the early hours of the morning, with some quite severe head injuries and damage to his brain. Assault was suspected but due to lack of witnesses and the amnesia resulting from swelling of the brain, he has no memory of what occurred on that night.

Nick began his long road to recovery and eventually returned to university. He graduated in 2009 and went on to find employment some months later.

Nick was followed by married couple Gavin Scott and Karen Saville who gave an insightful talk about how the move to personal budgets has affected their lives. Gavin also spoke with passion and emotion about living with Multiple Sclerosis and the impact the condition has had on his life and relationships with his wife and family members.

Gavin has received national and international recognition for his work in transforming health and social care delivery from the perspective of a person with support needs, while Karen has professional as well as personal experience of working in partnership with people who require such assistance. Their presentation, which included photographs of their life together set to music, was as moving as it was fascinating.

The final presentation of the day was delivered by Nick Martin, Managing Partner of Nestor Partnership LLP, one of the conference's main sponsors. Nick spoke about welfare benefits for brain injury survivors, highlighting the complexity and confusion that can surround the topic.

Nick explained some of the various benefits available, highlighting which entitlements are means-tested and which are not. He also spoke of the difficulties many people with brain injury have in accessing the benefits to which they are entitled, while stating that the challenges of filling in forms, benefits being miscalculated and job centre staff often not understanding the rules arecommonly-cited issues.

Exhibition

The exhibition stands were as popular as ever Delegates were once again able to browse exhibition stands during the breaks. An impressive total of 22 companies and organisations supported the conference by running stands, with a range of information available on a variety of brain injury-related topics.