Thompsons Solicitors has given its backing to a national charity’s campaign to improve the lives of those with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) in the UK.

The United Kingdom Acquired Brain Injury Forum (UKABIF) is calling for government action to improve the lives of the 1m people in the UK with ABI in a manifesto to be outlined at the House of Lords on Tuesday, July 3.

ABI includes those who have suffered Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) perhaps caused by a car accident, as well as those who suffer brain injury perhaps due to a stroke, tumours or infectious diseases.

The manifesto calls for a number of improvements in access to services as well as a national audit of rehabilitation to collect data on newly acquired brain injuries.

The campaign comes after UKABIF identified that rehabilitation services for ABI was a postcode lottery in the UK.

Specialist rehabilitation services needed after Brain Injury

However people have developed an ABI they need specialist rehabilitation services and support both in hospital and in the community. Early access to this care is crucial to ensure optimal recovery. It is estimated that the annual £4.1 billion cost to the UK health service of TBI alone could be significantly reduced with a more efficient joined-up system in place.

UKABIF’s manifesto is the result of joint working with service users and support organisations. It attempts to include all viewpoints on a diverse and complex healthcare area and recommends a way forward for professionals, service providers, planners and policy makers to maximise the outcome for people with ABI.

Paul Brown, secretary of UKABIF and a member of Thompsons Solicitors Serious Injuries Team said: “More than 1m people live with the affects of brain injury in the UK. Research has shown that early access to specialist rehabilitation services is key to gaining optimum recovery yet in the UK these services vary hugely from region to region.

“A postcode lottery is no way to help some of the most vulnerable patients of the NHS. The current variability is having a detrimental impact on the lives of those with ABI and action outlined in the manifesto must be taken now to stop costs spiralling out of control.”