The UK faces a “tidal wave” of brain injury rehab need post COVID-19, with a huge increase in reliance on private and charitable sectors due to stretched NHS resources, new research shows.
The extent of the expected impact on resources over the coming months is laid bare in newly-released research, which reveals 89 per cent of case managers across the UK expect a deluge in demand for rehabilitation resources.
With NHS capacity already being under strain, 91 per cent of the 152 case managers nationally who took part in the research, conducted by Calvert Reconnections, also predicted a significant increase in demand for private and charity resources.
Referrals to residential-based rehabilitation programmes have dropped significantly – only 10 per cent were currently referring patients – but the majority, 71 per cent, expected to recommence doing so within the next three months.
Virtual means of communication will also remain important as the country emerges from the pandemic, according to case managers, which have proved such a vital tool in maintaining communication with patients during lockdown.
Many traditional practices have been forced to change as a result of the pandemic, with the use of video, telephone and other virtual means of communication coming to the fore – 84 per cent of case managers believed this was an “essential” means of ensuring client rehab and mental health needs were met.
Additionally, outdoor activities are also predicted to grow in prevalence as a result of ongoing social distancing and restrictions on indoor meetings, with 86 per cent of case managers anticipating an increase in such activities as part of brain injury rehabilitation programmes.
Of those surveyed, 92 per cent felt they currently had clients who could benefit from such an alternative approach which included outdoor activities as part of their rehab.
Calvert Reconnections carried out its research among case managers during August, at a time when restrictions began to be lifted in some parts of the country, before being re-imposed.
Speaking to NR Times, Sarah Green, centre manager at Calvert Reconnections, part of the Lake District Calvert Trust, said the research shows that traditional rehabilitation models are changing, with the support of case managers in achieving that.
“During the pandemic, it is a great time to highlight the importance of maintaining strong service delivery that is safe and effective in the lived outcomes for the individuals,” she said.
“The pandemic does not have to stop outstanding rehabilitation in its tracks. Through strategic planning, organisational oversight and up-to-date knowledge, the delivery of a needs-led pathway can still be maintained.
“We are in unprecedented times and services are having to improvise, adapt and overcome. But let’s not forget about the importance of rehabilitation. Life has stopped and changed for us all, but most of all for the vulnerable individuals in our society that still need continuity, support and progression.”
Outdoor rehabilitation, such as that being offered at the Calvert Reconnections centre in Keswick – which has won praise for its groundbreaking focus on a range of outdoor activities for patients with acquired brain injuries – is now being given renewed focus as a result of the pandemic, added Sarah.
“The unique nature of outdoor education as an integral part of our pathway plays to our advantage during COVID-19,” she said.
“The great outdoors still offers a safe place for rehabilitation to continue. We have on-site facilities such as the stables and equine therapy, which offer not only vocational support to individuals, but also the emotional connection that is of upmost importance for wellbeing.
“We feel that our assets and connections to the great outdoors as the fundamental principle to our model means that lived outcomes will be able to be maintained at a time when life has literally been locked down.”
