It is our mission that all children with brain injury and neurodisability live the best life possible. In our annual Impact and Outcomes Report we demonstrate the impact we have on the children we support and the wider world.
Our Impact and Outcomes Report for April 2020 to March 2021 is set against a backdrop of a year of considerable disruption as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time we continued to offer a specialist in-paediatric neurorehabilitation service providing level 1 neurorehabilitation.
During 2020-21 The Children’s Trust provided rehabilitation and support to over 1,200 children and young people from right across the UK.
The following provides some highlights from our 2020-21 Impact and Outcomes Report, a full copy of which is available for download.
Colleagues in trauma hospitals report that the number of children sustaining a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) decreased nationwide during the period in question, as children had pandemic-related restrictions on their activities. The Children’s Trust also saw this pattern reflected in the admissions to rehabilitation
Figure one: type of acquired brain injury
Children and young people are easier to care for when they make physical, cognitive, social and occupational gains following an ABI. A score is given as a measure of these gains which is referred to as a PEDI-CAT score. When the group data for the year is taken, there is a positive change in ability across all the areas of functional ability and participation.
Our PEDI-CAT change scores for the children and young people we supported during 2020-21.
Figure two: change in functional ability during rehabilitation (PEDI-CAT change scores, n=51)
Using the Rehabilitation Complexity Scale (RCS) scores, we are able to see that on leaving The Children’s Trust rehabilitation service, there are fewer children and young people in the ‘very high’ and ‘high’ categories. These young people are easier to care for and require less specialist service provision.
The Change in complexity during rehabilitation chart details the improvement in the children’s RCS scores. Complexity data is taken from the Rehabilitation Complexity Scale Extended (RCS-E), and provides a simple overall measure of care, nursing, therapy, medical and equipment needs, and is designed to offer crude banding of complexity. This is used largely within adult neurorehabilitation populations and may not be wholly appropriate at identifying complexity in a paediatric population. Nevertheless, this still gives a like-for-like consistent comparison over previous years complexity data.
In terms of a child’s home situation after discharge i.e. whether any adaptive accommodation or rehousing was needed for example, most children returned home from their stay at The Children’s Trust not needing any adaptation or minor equipment.
In the school year 2020/2021, 53 children left the Surrey Teaching Service that supports children with their education during their stay with us. 32 went back to their previous school (60%). The multidisciplinary team supported 17 children and young people into a new school. Four children are yet to return to school.
Our mission is to help children with brain injury and neurodisability live the best life possible. Partners and funders believe in this and support us to deliver our services. This outcomes report demonstrates the positive impact we have on the lives of the young people we support in order to reach this mission. The above provided some highlights from our 2020-21 Impacts and Outcomes Report, a full copy of which is available for download.
Neurorehabilitation is one of most cost-effective interventions available to the NHS. Substantial and robust evidence supports the clinical and cost effectiveness of neurorehabilitation. Although individuals with complex needs may require a longer hospital stay, the front-loaded cost of providing early specialist neurorehabilitation for these individuals is rapidly offset by longer-term savings in the cost of community care, making this a highly cost-efficient intervention.
For further information on why investment in rehabilitation is important read our Impact and Outcomes Report for 2020-21.
We have ambitious plans for the future and want to ensure that every child and young person affected by acquired brain injury has access to the rehabilitation and support they need.
For enquiries about a placement or support for a child or young person, find out more here
For further information on our work, please get in touch
During 2020-21 The Children’s Trust provided rehabilitation and support to over 1,200 children and young people from right across the UK.
Download the reportProduction of our 2020-21 Impacts and Outcomes Report is with thanks to Irwin Mitchell.
