Speaking up a call to our local MPs

🧠 Speaking Up for Brain Injury Survivors: A Call to Our Local MPs

On Thursday 4th December, from 1.30pm to 3.00pm, MPs will gather in Westminster Hall to debate Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) and the Government’s proposed ABI Action Plan. This is a vital opportunity to shine a light on the challenges brain injury survivors face — and the services that support them.

As Chair and Vice Chair of Headway Huddersfield & District, we’ve written to all seven MPs covering Calderdale and Kirklees, urging them to attend and speak up on behalf of local survivors and the charities that support them.

Local Headway groups like ours provide essential rehabilitation, carer support, and community outreach — yet many are under immense financial pressure. Seven local Headway charities have closed in the past three years, and others are struggling to meet growing demand with limited resources. The ABI Action Plan must address this crisis.

Here in Calderdale and Kirklees, the situation is stark:

• There is no dedicated brain injury rehabilitation service — only generic rehab teams.

• Access to clinical neuropsychology is minimal to non-existent.

• Patients needing inpatient rehab are often sent to Dewsbury, Leeds, or non-NHS providers, disrupting continuity of care.

• Complex needs, such as tracheostomy management, are poorly supported locally.

• Statutory services often lack understanding of brain injury and the “frontal lobe paradox,” making capacity assessments and care planning difficult.

• These services frequently turn to us for help — but we’re not commissioned or resourced to meet the full scope of need.

  
  

We believe commissioners must urgently review the local landscape and consider commissioning organisations like ours to deliver targeted, evidence-based interventions. These could include:

• Group therapy (widely recognised as best practice for TBI)

• Vocational rehabilitation

• Social communication rehab programmes

• Project-based rehabilitation

• Support to reduce social isolation

  
  

We hear too often from people who feel abandoned after discharge. One client told us:

“They’ve spent hundreds of thousands of pounds saving my life but sent me home and not bothered about my quality of life.”

Another member, Stephen, shared how transformative his twice-weekly rehab at the Barton Unit at St Luke’s Hospital had been — a programme that included gym work, speech therapy, and counselling. Sadly, nothing replaced it when the unit closed.

The ABI Action Plan must also address:

• The funding crisis facing local Headway charities (as highlighted in Headway UK’s When Funding Fails report)

• Support for carers and families

• Better data collection and reporting

• Greater awareness of brain injury across services and society

  
  

Over the course of this Parliament, an estimated 1.8 million people will be admitted to hospital with an acquired brain injury. Without urgent action, too many will continue to fall through the cracks.

🗣️ We’ve asked our MPs to:

• Attend the debate and speak up for brain injury survivors

• Contact Headway UK’s Policy and Public Affairs Manager for a tailored briefing

• Consider becoming a Headway Parliamentary Champion

  
  

We’ll keep you updated on any responses we receive. In the meantime, thank you for standing with us as we continue to advocate for better support, better services, and better outcomes for all those affected by brain injury.

Adrian Hawley, Chair, Gill Buckingham, Vice Chair

Headway Huddersfield & District

supporting brain injury survivors, their families and carers

across Calderdale and Kirklees