About Headway

Headway is Here to Help

Headway is a charity set up to give help and support to people affected by brain injury. It does this in a number of ways:

Locally

Headway Teesside is part of a network of local Groups and Branches throughout the UK and Channel Islands offers a wide range of services, including rehabilitation programmes, carer support, social re-integration, community outreach and respite care. The services available will vary, depending on local needs and resources.

Nationally

Headway UK provides support to the local Groups and Branches and helps to deliver high quality services through guidance on policies, procedures, standards and training.

Additionally

» The Headway Helpline (0808 800 2244) provides information, advises on sources of support, finds local rehabilitation services and offers a listening ear to those experiencing problems. Headway UK also have their own website, where there is further information on brain injury available.

» They publish a range of booklets containing information about aspects of brain injury that will be helpful to those directly affected, plus professionals, employers and members of the public

» Headway promote understanding of brain injury and its effects.

» Headway lobby for better support and resources to be made available by statutory health and social care providers.

» Headway campaign for measures that will reduce the number of brain injuries.

Brain Injury Statistics

Every year, more than a million people attend hospital A&E departments in the UK following a head injury.¹

Of these, around 135,000 people are admitted to hospital each year as a consequence of brain injury.²

The major causes of head injury are road traffic accidents, accidents during leisure pursuits or at work, falls, and assaults.³

Head injury is the foremost cause of death and disability in young people.

Approximately 50% of deaths in people under 40 are due to head injury.¹

The age groups most at risk are 15-29 and over 65.

Those aged between 15 and 29 are three times more likely to sustain a brain injury than any other group.

Males are two or three times more likely to have a brain injury than females. This increases to five times more likely in the 15 – 29 age range.⁴

The effects of brain injury are often devastating:

» They may be physical: Loss of co-ordination, muscle rigidity, paralysis, epilepsy, difficulty in speaking, loss of sight smell or taste, fatigue and sexual problems.

» They may be cognitive: Problems with memory, attention and concentration, low tolerance of noisy or stressful environments, loss of insight and initiative.

» They may be to do with behaviour and personality: Anxiety, depression, loss of motivation, difficulty controlling anger, and impulsivity.

More people are surviving severe brain injuries because of advances in medical knowledge and surgical techniques. People who have survived a brain injury generally have a normal life expectancy. This means that there are an ever-increasing number of people living with the long-term effects of brain injury.³

It is estimated that across the UK there are over 500,000 people (aged 16-74) living with disabilities as the result of head injury.
(Extrapolated using population figures from prevalence estimate for England of 431,000 people).⁵

References

1. Department of Health (2005). The National Service Framework for Long-term Conditions.

2. Tennant, A. Admission to hospital following head injury in England: Incidence and socio-economic association. BMC Public Health 2005, 5:21. www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/5/21

3. House of Commons: Head Injury Rehabilitation. Health Committee Third Report. London: The Stationery Office; 2001.

4. Trevor Powell (2003). Head Injury – A Practical Guide. Winslow Press Ltd.

5. Alan Tennant – Research for NSF for Long-term Conditions (2004)

How Headway Began

Prior to 1979, brain injury survivors suffered from similar complaints, but they had nowhere to turn for support. The sense of isolation felt by survivors and their families was significant. The demand for a national charity to support people with brain injuries was huge.

The story of Headway begins in 1979. When Sir Neville Butterworth placed an advert in a national newspaper seeking holiday accommodation for his brain-injured son, Dinah Minton and her husband Barry, themselves carers, responded and the three of them set out to find any support networks that may be in existence.

Two social workers, Phillip Lockhart and Reg Talbott, also contacted Sir Neville eager to offer their support. On 23 October 1979 in Moseley Hall Hospital, Birmingham, these five people chaired a meeting for all those involved in the care of people with brain injuries. The meeting was attended by 23 professionals and carers from across the UK and Headway was born.

Demand for support from the newly-formed Headway was intense. The 1970s had seen dramatic advances in neurosurgery, keeping more people alive who would have previously died from their head injuries.

Sadly, these advances were not matched by the parallel funding of expert rehabilitation facilities and community-based care services. The result was scores of brain-injured people being discharged into the care of under-prepared families or inappropriate nursing homes run by staff who were not adequately trained. In response to these needs, the first Headway house was opened in Gloucester in August 1983 providing a day-centre service to assist in long-term rehabilitation, respite care and hospital liaison.

With the help and support of hundreds of staff and volunteers across the UK, Headway continues to work to improve the lives of people with brain injuries.

A great deal of progress has been made in the past 30 years, of which everyone who has contributed can be very proud. The challenge now is to make the next 30 years equally successful.

Aim of Teesside Headway

To offer support to people with brain injury, their families, friends and carers in the Teesside region. We aim to enhance the quality of life for those affected by a brain injury through – Telephone contact – Regular social activities –Information.