Large crowds gathered in Manchester this week for a hugely successful Acquired Brain Injury Forum Summit 2022.
Powerful, personal stories of experience and hope were shared at the 2022 Acquired Brain Injury Forum Summit (UKABIF) in Manchester. The event was packed with key speakers, organisations and politicians who joined in discussing developments and improvements in the delivery of care for people with an acquired brain injury.
Manchester’s Lowry Hotel was buzzing with attendees who had travelled to be a part of the day – including Chris Bryant MP, who included an update on the Government’s Acquired Brain Injury Strategy.
He was joined by Eleanor Parry, head of long-term conditions at the Department for Health and Social Care and lead for the strategy.
Chris Bryant’s commitment to the Strategy was evident as always. “People ask me why I am always banging on about this topic,” he said. “It’s a passion for me and it is about giving people back a quality of life.”
UKABIF: “time for change” for brain injury patients
Topics for discussion included ABI in the criminal justice system, action plan for neurodiversity, and brain injury rehabilitation in secure care and police custody.
It was also addressed about learning the lessons from Safeguarding Adults Reviews into the deaths of people with an acquired brain injury.
Powerful patient stories
Powerful personal stories were heard from Peter Freeman, who shared his frightening experience as a parent after his teenage daughter got a brain injury from a horrific car accident.
“The scariest things you can have as a parent, the phone call from the police, driving down the M1 and seeing the blue lights and knowing it’s your child,” he said.
Jordan Ball, who suffered an acquired brain injury after a motorcycle accident and had to learn to walk, talk and function from scratch, also shared an emotional story of recovery – alongside his dad who has supported his son since the accident.
The Summit, sponsored by Irwin Mitchell, Cygnet Health Care and Leigh Day, also included the announcements of the winners of the annual UKABIF Awards, sponsored by Elysium Neurological.
A “fantastic day”
Chloe Hayward, chief executive of UKABIF, said: “The Summit is always a fantastic day and a wonderful opportunity to hear from a great line-up of experts in the field of acquired brain injury.
“The wide range of topics means we cover issues which are of interest to people across all sectors.
“As well as the packed Lowry Hotel venue, we were delighted that we streamed the conference live once again to ensure as many people as possible could hear from the speakers, ask questions and feel part of the day.”
Read more about the summit, the speakers and the topics here.
