There is a shortage of high-quality private ABI rehabilitation units in the UK, according to the majority of brain injury case managers.
Research by Nockolds Solicitors and NR Times reveals that 79 per cent of case managers believe there are not enough high-quality private rehabilitation units.
In other findings, 95 per cent of brain injury case managers say statutory services within the community are not up to the required standard while 98 per cent believe the provision of ABI rehabilitation is a postcode lottery.
Commenting on the research, Jennie Jones, head of the medical negligence and personal injury team at Nockolds Solicitors, said: “Statutory services within the community are clearly not up to the required standard. As a result, we are seeing a huge increase in reliance on the private and charitable sectors due to stretched NHS resources.
“With statutory services struggling to cope, it is concerning that the majority of brain injury case mangers feel that there are not enough high-quality private rehabilitation units in the UK. This is a further example of brain injury rehabilitation being compromised by a lack of funding.”
Referring to ABI rehabilitation being a postcode lottery, Jennie continued: “Case managers emphatically believe that the provision of ABI rehabilitation is a postcode lottery. Our experience is exactly the same.
“There is a clear variation in the quality of treatment and support depending on where people live.
“It is abundantly clear that thousands of people who sustain brain injuries each year are not getting timely rehabilitation in their own communities.
“The funding and availability of placement at rehabilitation units for those with a moderate to severe brain injury is not uniform.
“Many who are discharged from hospitals struggle to find specialist support services to help them relearn some of the skills that were lost as a result of their injury.
“There are parts of the country that do not have a clinical team with the expertise to meet the full rehabilitation needs of people with acquired brain injury.
“Despite all the evidence about the benefits of neuro-rehabilitation, the services remain extraordinarily under-resourced. Access to rehabilitation remains something of a lottery – it should be a right, not a request.”
The findings form part of a lengthy market research project by Nockolds Solicitors and NR Times, the results of which are now being announced.
The research also reveals that the majority of case managers are unconvinced that the Government’s new ABI strategy will lead to a step change in the care and support available to people living with brain injury, and that families need more support in the aftermath of brain injury.
Following on from the research, Nockolds Solicitors has announced plans to launch a quarterly forum for brain injury case managers, providing complementary training and market insight. Further details will be released shortly.
