UKABIF announces Strategic Partners for 2021

The United Kingdom Acquired Brain Injury Forum (UKABIF) are pleased to announce a new Strategic Partnership Programme for 2021.

The partners working with UKABIF over this coming year are Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, Leigh Day, Cygnet Healthcare and Neuro ProActive and they will meet with UKABIF regularly and support the activities connected to the Time for Change programme of work.

The Time for Change campaign was implemented through the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) to improve post-acute care for people with an ABI. It is our collective vision to make a lasting and meaningful impact on outcomes for people suffering from a brain injury. To achieve this we identified the need to:

- Make neurorehabilitation accessible and equitable
- Develop Rehabilitation Prescriptions for all sufferers of ABI
- Set national policy to enhance and support local delivery
- Raise awareness of ABI and introduce supplementary screening and education at the point of need
- Innovate and share best-practice and innovation
- Create consistent data and information

Chloe Hayward, UKABIF’s Executive Director said, ‘UKABIF’s strength lies in bringing people together, working closely with government and Parliament, academics, charities, medical, legal and social care professionals to ensure that our demands for change are evidence-based, logical and practical as a first step to policy change. Despite Covid-19, in 2020 brain injury was raised as a key health matter over 490 times in Parliament (compared with 19 times between 2010 – 2017 and 234 times between 2017–19).’

UKABIF made great strides throughout 2020, providing the impetus to develop training and screening in the Criminal Justice System; resources for the education sector; safe-guarding neuro-rehabilitation services in the second wave of Covid-19 and developing regional networks supporting local delivery, training and community.

In addition to supporting UKABIF’s public affairs role, the partnership includes headline sponsorship of UKABIF’s Time for Change Summit which will take place on 8th November 2021 at the Royal Society of Medicine in London.

Rachael Chamberlain, Neurological Business Development Director, Cygnet Health Care, said: “Cygnet’s involvement with UKABIF has been evident for many years. Our decision to become one of their first Strategic Partners was a simple one to make. UKABIF is the glue that brings together those directly affected by brain injuries with other support networks; is at the forefront of lobbying for change to improve the lives of those affected by brain injuries. Cygnet’s focus for this partnership is to offer support to UKABIF delivering its mission, vision and values utilising our own national network of clinical teams specialised in supporting those with acquired brain injuries, whilst also accessing our extensive team of commissioning partners working directly with the NHS and social care sectors.”

Ian Pearce from Neuro ProActive said: “We are excited by this new Strategic Partnership. UKABIF have been very helpful in the development of Neuro ProActive over the last three years and we share the common goals of levelling up care, increasing the provision of rehabilitation services and improving patient outcomes.”

Deirdre Healy, Partner, Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, said: “We are excited and delighted in equal parts to be the strategic partner of UKABIF for 2021. We have much synergy between us especially on the pressing need for properly funded rehabilitation.”

Emmalene Bushnell from Leigh Day, said: “This partnership fits incredibly well with the ethos of our firm. We are committed to ensuring that ordinary people have access to as good legal advice as the multinationals. We are looking forward to helping progress the Time for Change campaign and joint working is key to that.”