Nearly two-thirds of brain injury charities say they may not survive long-term as funding pressures force service closures and reduce support for survivors.
A new report has found that nearly 10 per cent of local Headway services have shut in the past two years, with delayed payments and shrinking budgets creating a growing crisis in community rehabilitation.
The When Funding Fails report, published by Headway – the brain injury association – surveyed local independent charities that support people recovering from acquired brain injuries caused by trauma, stroke, tumours and other conditions.
Fifty-seven per cent of respondents reported delayed payments from local authorities and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), with some charities hiring staff solely to chase overdue invoices.
Others said they lacked capacity to pursue payments, relying instead on dwindling reserves.
Only 37 per cent believed their organisation would still be operating in five years. Six local areas have lost brain injury support entirely due to service closures, with another closure expected this summer.
Survivors described having support hours cut and transport funding withdrawn, preventing access to rehabilitation.
Some said they had been told they no longer qualified for services, despite living with permanent brain injuries.
Luke Griggs, chief executive at Headway, said: “This report lays bare the devastating impact that funding cuts can have on brain injury survivors and their families up and down the country.
“Without urgent investment, many local Headway charities face the real risk of closure. If these specialist services disappear, brain injury survivors will be pushed towards more costly – and often wholly inappropriate – state services that are ill-equipped to meet their complex needs.
“This is a false economy with devastating human consequences.”
The charity is calling for urgent action, including increased ringfenced funding for community-based brain injury services and more efficient assessment systems to reduce delays and minimise appeals.
It is also seekning an extension of the Fair Payment Code to local authorities and ICBs to ensure payment within 30 days
