Acquired Brain Injury Alliance launches campaign on rehab prescriptions for brain injury patients

^{Only one in three major trauma centres sometimes or always give a copy of a rehabilitation prescription to the patient}

Michael Barnes, chair of the Acquired Brain Injury Alliance, said: ‘The rehabilitation prescription is a valuable tool that documents the rehabilitation needs of the individual with an acquired brain injury.

‘It has no value if the individual and their GP don’t receive a copy. And if the individual and the GP don’t know what rehabilitation is required, then no access to services can be planned or implemented.’

Feedback from a freedom of information request by an alliance-related organisation, which was sent to all clinical commissioning groups in England last year, showed that recognition of rehabilitation prescriptions was ‘inexcusably low’. Only four were positive about this, the alliance said.

Disappointing findings

It also said that an audit in 2016 showed that while 22 major trauma centres reported routinely completing a rehabilitation prescription, only one in three sometimes or always gave a copy to the patient.

Jakko Brouwers who chairs ACPIN (the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Neurology) said he supported the campaign.

‘I have worked most of my life in brain rehab and we have always had a standard multidisciplinary discharge report, which is forwarded to the patient, the GP, the treating consultant and any follow-up services, he said. ‘Every service should do it.’

He described the alliance’s findings as disappointing and suggested this could be due to a lack of coordination between acute and other services.

The Acquired Brain Injury Alliance is a collaboration between charities, professional groups and industry working in the field of acquired brain injury. It works across the UK to improve services for children and adults with acquired brain injury.