Moore Blatch backs campaign to improve services for people with acquired brain injury

Leading Hampshire law firm, Moore Blatch Resolve, has given its backing to a national campaign calling for improved services to help those with acquired brain injury.

More than one million people in Britain live with the effects of acquired brain injury, at an estimated minimum cost to the UK of £4.1 billion per year. The highest rate of injury occurs between the ages of 15-24 years, with road traffic accidents accounting for around 50 per cent of all traumatic brain injuries.

On 3 July at the House of Lords, Ciaran McCabe from Moore Blatch Resolve and chair of the South of England Acquired Brain Injury Forum (SEABIF), will join MPs and special guests for the launch of the 'Life After Brain Injury? Improve Services Now' campaign.

At the event, the United Kingdom Acquired Brain Injury Forum (UKABIF) will set out its manifesto calling for urgent action to be taken on all aspects of acquired brain injury.

“We’re demanding immediate action on a local and national level to force change” said Professor Michael Barnes, Chair of UKABIF and Professor of Neurological Rehabilitation, Hunters Moor Rehabilitation Ltd.

“People with an Acquired Brain Injury need access to specialist rehabilitation but these services vary considerably around the UK and this is having a detrimental impact on the how well patients ultimately recover.”

Ciaran McCabe from Moore Blatch Resolve, said: “We are long standing supporters of the UKABIF and the need for greater understanding and support for those with acquired brain injury.

“We work with many families who are facing the devastating impact such injuries can bring and strongly back the UKABIF and its manifesto, as they push for action over this distressing and often life-changing condition.”

Professor Barnes added: “We know that patients benefit from early access to specialist neurological services but this crucial aspect of patient management continues to be overlooked. Our manifesto presents four key recommendations which we hope health professionals, purchasers and providers of services and the general public will support. By working together locally we can improve services.”

The UKABIF Manifesto is asking for:

• Appropriate commissioning for specialist brain injury rehabilitation should be made compulsory and each clinical commissioning group should have a named neurological lead

• Funded National Neuro Networks should be established to ensure neurological pathways are available throughout the stages of recovery (patient journey)

• A National Audit of Rehabilitation should be carried out and the collection and reporting of accurate data on newly Acquired Brain Injuries made compulsory by all providers along the patient journey, from Acute to Community services*

• A review is required of The Health Select Committee Report and the National Service Framework (NSF) for Long Term Neurological Conditions.

*As implemented with Stroke though Healthcare Emergency Planning and the Care Quality Commission

For more details and to support the campaign visit www.ukabif.org.uk