Headway is the UK-wide charity that works to improve life after brain injury. Through its network of more than 125 groups and branches across the UK, it provides support, services and information to brain injury survivors, their families and carers, as well as to professionals in the health and legal fields.
Help for families and patients in the acute stage of care includes:
- An Emergency Fund providing grants of up to £500 in the immediate aftermath of brain injury to help adult brain injury survivors and their families cope with the sudden practical implications
- An online platform called I’m calling about Chris which helps families keep loved ones updated when sitting by the hospital bedside following brain injury (www.callingabout.org.uk)
- A freephone nurse-led helpline 0808 800 2244; helpline@headway.org.uk
- A directory of personal injury lawyers with experience of handling brain injury cases
- A comprehensive website containing information about all aspects of brain injury
- An award-winning library of free-to-access booklets and factsheets designed to help people understand and cope with the effects of brain injury
- A directory of approved residential homes, rehabilitation units and respite facilities specialising in brain injury
They also have a network of groups and branches across the UK providing a wide range of services depending on local needs and resources. You can find the Scottish branches for your local Board area here or search on the Headway web pages here
Headway UK provide a large number of information leaflets.
The Head injury information Directory is an online resource for anyone affected by or working in the field of brain injury. The website’s purpose is to bring together information on the many organisations who are involved in brain injury in Scotland.
The Headway Brain Injury Identity Card is designed to help police officers and staff more easily identify brain injury survivors and ensure that they receive an appropriate response and support.
The card can also provide brain injury survivors with added confidence in everyday social scenarios.
Each card is personalised, helping the card holder to explain the effects of their brain injury and request any support they may need.
To apply for the card, see here: https://www.headway.org.uk/supporting-you/brain-injury-identity-card
The Scottish Trauma Network (STN) is a bespoke, inclusive and equitable solution, which will involve the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) and hospitals across Scotland – including 4 major trauma centres – working collaboratively, to deliver high quality integrated, multi-specialty care to severely injured patients. This approach will save more lives and improve patient outcomes throughout the trauma pathway – from prevention to rehabilitation – ‘Saving lives and Giving life back’.
The Brain & Spine Foundation is the only UK-wide charity providing information and support for every one of the 350+ neurological disorders, which affect 12 million people in the UK.
Our expert services are there for people at every stage, from first symptoms, diagnosis, treatments and in the long term.
Neurological conditions and associated treatments are often complex and poorly understood by those affected and their families. Many people wait for a long time for diagnosis while living with ongoing symptoms and the anxiety of not knowing what the future holds. The Brain & Spine Foundation exists to provide information, answer questions, reduce anxiety and to inform choices.
