Forum

Citation

Jenkins, D.K.G. (2012), "Forum", Social Care and Neurodisability, Vol. 3 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/scn.2012.56103caa.002

Forum

Article Type: Forum From: Social Care and Neurodisability, Volume 3, Issue 3

Dr Keith G. Jenkins

Welcome to the Forum section of Social Care and Neurodisability, your opportunity to post responses to articles from previous issues and to raise awareness of forthcoming events, consultations, policy initiatives, etc. This edition of Forum has been compiled by Dr Keith Jenkins, who looks forward to your responses by e-mail or post.

Dr Keith G. Jenkins, CPsychol, CSci, AFBPsS, National Brain Injury Centre, St Andrew’s Healthcare, Northampton, NN1 5DG. Tel.: +44 (0)1604 616767, e-mail: KJenkins@standrew.co.uk

Lessons from the Northamptonshire Acquired Brain Injury Forum Conference

As was advertised in the last edition of Forum, the Northamptonshire Acquired Brain Injury Forum held a two-day event at the end of Action for Brain Injury Week that addressed, “Neurorehabilitation past, present and future”, for professionals, and the next day had a mix of presentations and workshops aimed at brain injury survivors and their families, “Living with Acquired Brain Injury”. I thought that I would share with you some of the content of the excellent presentations from Day 1, as there was much to challenge and stimulate those of us working in the field of neurodisability arising from acquired brain injury.

Day 1 was chaired by Dr Martyn Rose, Consultant in Neuropsychiatric Rehabilitation, long-term advocate for people with an acquired brain injury and Trustee of Headway Northampton. The first paper was from Dr Richard Greenwood, Consultant Neurologist at the Homerton Hospital and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. His review “Neurorehabilitation past, present and future”, demonstrated the tremendous improvements that have accumulated over the past two decades in the outcomes for brain injured people from acute care and rehabilitation. However, he also highlighted the ongoing issues associated with reduced mortality and increased morbidity. He also demonstrated how new technologies are offering even greater potential for identifying and understanding acquired brain injury, e.g. diffusion tensor imaging showing severed connections in white matter tracts that are missed with other types of brain scan.

Dr Carole Cowan-Turner, Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist from the NHS Northamptonshire Community Brain Injury Service, then described another key development in support for people with an acquired brain injury, community-based rehabilitation. Inevitably, her presentation illustrated the currently patchy provision of such services across the UK whilst demonstrating their major role in coordinating various agencies and resources effectively to optimise recovery after an acquired brain injury. Carole was followed by Dr Bryan Timmins, Consultant Neuropsychiatrist and Medical Director of The Oakleaf Group. Bryan illustrated another important part of the brain injury rehabilitation jigsaw, understanding and treating mental disorder. He also made a cogent argument for the ending of artificial distinctions between organic and functional disorders that have been maintained by the separation of mental disorder from the province of Neurology and its embracing by Psychiatry in a way that is not so evident in other parts of Europe. However, his corollary that, for example, patients with schizophrenia should be treated on the same units as patients with a brain injury (assuming similar needs) was a little too challenging for some.

Andy Tyerman, Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist & Head of Service with the Community Head Injury Service, Buckinghamshire PCT discussed vocational rehabilitation and getting work after an acquired brain injury. Echoing previous presenters, Andy described current challenges and obstacles arising from funding difficulties. Provided as part of a rehabilitation service, focused vocational rehabilitation involving a variety of specialist, time-limited inputs can significantly improve outcomes. For example, as regards regaining paid employment or enhancing quality of life with voluntary work or education. However, just as with community-based rehabilitation more generally, provision of such services is very patchy and under increasing cost-cutting threat. Finally, Amanda Swain, United Kingdom Acquired Brain Injury Forum (UKABIF) Committee Member provided an overview of NHS commissioning changes and how to seek better provision for people with an acquired brain injury. Two main themes emerged:

1. 1.

   The need to provide evidence of need and numbers to commissioners if they are to be persuaded to actually commission specialist acquired brain injury services rather than making individual arrangements when needs arise.

2. 2.

   The need to seek representation on relevant local commissioning bodies and to ally with groups that have similar needs in order to have a better chance with the numbers part of the argument.

Life after brain injury? Improve services now

The Northants Conference suggests that UKABIF have chosen a very good time to combine with other brain injury charities such as Headway, the Child Brain Injury Trust and the Encephalitis Society to launch its Manifesto for Acquired Brain Injury, “Life after brain injury? Improve services now”. Launched at the House of Lords on 2 July, the Manifesto evidences and makes key demands:

To improve the lives of the one million people with acquired brain injury in the UK; the people affected, their carers and the professionals working in this field are asking for the following:

• •

  Appropriate commissioning for specialist brain injury rehabilitation should be made compulsory and each clinical commissioning group should have a named neurological lead.

• •

  Funded National Neuro Networks should be established to ensure neurological pathways are available throughout the stages of recovery (patient journey).

• •

  A National Audit of Rehabilitation should be carried out and the collection and reporting of accurate data on newly acquired brain injuries made compulsory by all providers along the patient journey, from Acute to Community Services.

• •

  A review is required of The Health Select Committee Report into Head Injury and the National Service Framework for Long Term Conditions (neurological).

Obtain copies of the Manifesto from UKABIF and join with them and their allies in campaigning for a much improved service for people with an acquired brain injury.

Forthcoming events/announcements

Barcelona, Spain, 14-18 July 2012. 8th FENS Forum of European Neuroscience. Web site: http://fens2012.neurosciences.asso.fr/

Manchester Central Convention Complex, Manchester Central, 5-7 September 2012. 8th International Conference on Frontotemporal Dementias. Web site: www2.kenes.com/ftd2012/Pages/Home.aspx

Conference Centre, University of Worcester (UK) St John’s Campus, Henwick Grove, 5-7 September 2012. 7th International Conference on Creative Expression, Communication and Dementia. Web site: www.cecd-society.org/research/2012/about.html

Royal Hospital for Neurodisability, London, 13 September 2012. Open Lecture – Boccia: Why, What & How? A sport for individuals with complex disabilities.

Royal Hospital for Neurodisability, London, 21 September 2012. Tracheostomy & Dysphagia in Complex Brain Injury.

Royal Hospital for Neurodisability, London, 17-18 October 2012. Positioning for Function.

Royal Hospital for Neurodisability, London, 29 October 2012. Overview of the Principles of Assessment & Management of Patients with Disorder of Consciousness and Introduction to SMART.

Royal Hospital for Neurodisability, London, 29 October-2 November 2012. SMART Assessor Training.

Nice – France, 8-10 November 2012. 2nd International Congress on Neurology & Epidemiology – “Impact of drugs on the natural history of neurological diseases”.

National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham, 13 November 2012. The 4th Annual UKABIF Conference. Web site: www.ukabif.org.uk/ukabif-annual-conference

MacFarlanes LLP, London EC4A 1LT, 3 December 2012. VIP Launch of New Diagnostic Algorithm and Management Guidelines for Encephalitis. For more information please contact the Encephalitis Society; e-mail: admin@encephalitis.info or call 01653 692583

Brain Injury Social Work Group (BISWG) Bursaries

Each financial year BISWG Ltd will be offering two exceptional bursaries of £1,000 for international conferences and 16 bursaries of £500 to attend training and conferences in the UK (www.biswg.co.uk/html/bursaries.html).

And finally

If you would like your event(s) featured, send an e-mail with details at least three months before the event to allow for publication lead times.

If you have any questions or opinions that you would like to share with the wider neurodisability community, why not send them into Forum.

I look forward to hearing from you.