Coordinating care - improving services in the community
We’re growing and developing our community services to better coordinate the support received by children and young people with an acquired brain injury (ABI).
Every 30 minutes, a child in the UK suffers an accident, injury or illness which causes a brain injury.
But it can be hard for them to get the support they desperately need because the services they rely on often work in isolation. Opportunities for care may be missed along with chances for treatment and recovery.
Imagine how stressful and confusing it must be. Clare, whose son Rhodri has a brain injury, said: “The biggest problem is the time it takes to get help. In the meantime, you are left floundering.”
Leading the way
At The Children’s Trust we are determined to improve services for families like Clare and Rhodri. We are piloting three new Community Rehabilitation Teams, helping children access the rehabilitation and follow-up services they need, when they need them.
Put simply – our experts in brain injury will work alongside other professionals in a ‘super’ team of specialists in the community, so no child with a brain injury will be too far from the treatment they need and deserve.
- As soon as children leave hospital, we will be there with ongoing specialist rehabilitation for their brain injury.
- We will go to wherever they are – working with children at home alongside their parents, in school with their teachers and in their everyday activities.
- We will help with the early and long-term effects of acquired brain injury.
Pilot programme
This pilot will run for three years. The first team will start working with children and families living in Birmingham and Solihull, from early 2023. During the pilot we’ll be assessing how it’s working and will be looking at other locations where we can set up similar teams.
