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Good vibrations are bouncing around the communal room at Cygnet St William’s when NR Times arrives. Partly, it’s down to the surprisingly large quantity of cakes on offer. A local Headway representative is already tucking in, as is Paul, a friendly patient with a beaming smile. Manager Alison King and consultant psychiatrist Dr Tony Perini are also in good spirits. But it’s perhaps not just the iced treats fuelling their positivity.

Two of the most powerful ingredients of Accessible Dreams’ work are the very things that are restricted right now. Travelling to exciting horizons, and being able to hang out with friends new and old once there, are at the heart of the experiences the group creates. And at the time of writing, one is currently impossible from the UK, while the other is enabled only in a world of separation, screens and clever apps. But Nicola Cale, who runs Accessible Dreams, sounds surprisingly chipper when NR Times calls her.

The way coronavirus has swept through the world has created an unprecedented situation which each country has had to adapt to. In the UK, the total numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases and fatalities due to the virus continue to rise and lockdown remains in place at the time of writing. While business has had to temporarily end for many, particularly in sectors including retail and leisure, however, the situation is vastly different for those working in care. Work must carry on to ensure patients are looked after as usual - particularly for neuro patients, whose needs are often particularly complex - with the additional challenge of protecting them, as well as fellow care professionals, from the deadly COVID-19.

"It’s not the cards you’re dealt that matters, it’s how you play them that counts.” For Jessie Ace, this is a mantra that inspires her every day. It has helped her overcome her career dreams and confidence being shattered by her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis, and underpins the positivity that now enables her to inspire so many others with chronic illness around the world.

UK charity The Children’s Trust, which supports children with brain injuries and their families, says demand for its services is at the highest point in its 36-year history. At the same time, however, donations are declining rapidly as people become more cautious amidst economic uncertainty. And it is not alone, with similar challenges being felt elsewhere in the third sector that supports neuro-rehab.

In years gone by, the relationship between rehabilitation professionals and law firms perhaps wasn’t always the easiest.

But having been a physiotherapist for over 20 years before moving into serious injury law, I have seen from both sides of the fence how relations have improved over time; benefitting patient outcomes in the process.

Historically, healthcare professionals could be somewhat defensive in their dealings with serious injury solicitors.

Suffering a stroke is a frightening event. They occur suddenly and without warning, usually caused by a blockage of arteries leading to the brain, which is known as an ischaemic stroke. Another, less common stroke, can be caused by bleeding into brain tissue when a blood vessel bursts, but ischaemic strokes remain the most common. Regardless of which stroke is experienced, it always affects how the body functions.

Many of our personal injury clients at Irwin Mitchell suffer from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). They rely upon case managers, rehabilitation therapists and support workers to help them function. Things that we take for granted can only be done with a lot of scaffolding in place. So what happens in a pandemic, when social distancing is enforced? The most obvious impact is that all of the treating therapists and support staff are unable to attend to provide the usual treatment and support.

A few months ago, my brother excitedly told us he was planning a trip to Holland with his friends because he thought a few days away would be a welcome break from the stresses of work. However, my sister did not share his excitement and her immediate response was to tell him not to go. When she failed to dissuade him, she told him to at least pack a face mask. This kind of response is not surprising at a time when the world has been brought to the edge of mania.  There is a name for this phenomenon- ‘moral panic’. Moral panic is a concept in sociology that refers to the phenomenon of a mass of people becoming distressed about a perceived threat or social issue.