Following a campaign led by Headway Parliamentary Champion, Sir Chris Bryant MP, former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced in 2021 the government’s commitment to developing a cross-departmental government strategy on acquired brain injury.
Headway welcomed the progressive move to develop such a strategy, in the hopes it would ensure brain injury is given the same attention as other conditions.
Through its Budget for Brain Injury campaign, the charity is now raising concerns shared by survivors, carers and campaigners alike, that the strategy won’t deliver the transformative change needed to improve the lives of brain injury survivors if it is published without the commitment of new funding.
Sarah Russell, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Headway, said: “Brain injury affects millions of people across the UK and these effects can last a lifetime.
“We are concerned, that without adequate and dedicated funding, the strategy may not be fully implemented, meaning an opportunity to transform the lives of those living with ABI could be missed.”
With the government’s ABI Strategy and the October Spending Review on the horizon, Headway is urgently seeking assurances that the government will deliver the meaningful change that people living with acquired brain injury desperately need.
Sarah continued: “We are deeply concerned that people living with brain injury are already struggling to access the services they need in order to rebuild their lives after discharge from hospital.
“Those early days in acute care are vital in saving lives and helping people to walk and talk again, but it is essential that equal weighting is given to helping people rebuild their lives, relearn lost skills and regain a degree of independence through specialist post-acute support in their own communities.
“Without these services, so much of the early investment in acute rehabilitation risks being wasted, with survivors unable to reach their potential and remaining dependant on costly state-funded support.
“The network of local Headway charities play an essential and unique role in improving this quality of life through their specialist work, the services they provide and the support they offer.
“Many of these local charities, commissioned by local health and social care authorities, are already struggling to stay afloat due to continued pressure on local authority budgets.
“The ABI Strategy simply has to address the urgent challenges facing community-based rehabilitation organisations providing essential services to individuals living with acquired brain injury. They are essential partners for the government in delivering the outcomes of any strategy but support has to be forthcoming without further delay.
Headway’s campaign has been supported by other brain injury charities including Child Brain Injury Trust, UKABIF and Brainkind, and together they have called on the Chancellor to set aside much-needed funds for acquired brain injury in the upcoming Autumn Statement on 22 November 2023.
The charities have published an open letter to the Chancellor and encouraged the public to sign a pledge card, which focusses on the often-devastating impact of brain injury to the individual and those close to them, as well as the significant burden on the UK economy.
Sarah concluded: “The support we’ve had from other charities, the brain injury community and wider public to date has been amazing.
“We hope the Chancellor will sit up and take note of the strength of feeling there is out there about the need for more funding of vital services for individuals and families living with the effects of acquired brain injury.”
The Autumn Statement is set to be delivered in November.
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