Davina Jones, Head of Policy at Brainkind, has issued a response to the UK government’s 10-Year Health Plan which was revealed last week.
The long-awaited plan calls for a shift from hospital to community, treatment to prevention, and analogue to digital.
The Brainkind statement reads:
Brainkind welcomes the 10-Year Health Plan for England, particularly the strong commitment to rehabilitation as a key part of the strategy.
The commitment to provide services that are built around the needs of people, and to enable easy access to a range of professionals, is an approach that will make a difference to the lives of people affected by neurological conditions and acquired brain injury.
The vision to provide more services in a community setting may require continued conversations that are reflective of the investment needed to make this a reality, but we look forward to working in partnership with other agencies to share our expertise from clinical settings to support this transition.
We are also pleased to see measures to make care more personalised and patient-centred, including accessible care plans for those with complex conditions.
Expanding the availability of Personal Health Budgets (PHBs) is a positive step – this can give people with long-term conditions, like a brain injury, greater control over the care they receive and the lives they live.
The commitment to enhancing digital healthcare services, such as the use of robotics to improve rehabilitation, is another welcome step.
The government has also announced their intention to draft an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Action Plan this autumn, focusing on specific actions for ABI to align with the 10-Year Health Plan.
This is an excellent opportunity to build on the work done by the previous All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for ABI and we look forward to working with the government in its development.
Find out more about Brainkind at brainkind.org
