Yet more delays to the UK ABI plan originally announced for creation in 2001

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I have just joined this forum.And I’m frankly amazed that there is no discussion of the much anticipated UK ABI plan.Which was first announced for creation by Boris Johnson’s government in 2001 and has been delayed many times including at the end oflast month when it was due to be released. UKABIF have been the main drivers of this in parliament but the SA seem to have been strangely quiet on it in terms of campaigning. I have blogged about this a number of times and encouraged the community to go and see their MPs as I did.

When it failed to be released at the end of June as promised , UKABIF started their #publishtheplan campaign with an open letter to the health secretary by16thJuly I can’t post a link here, but just google UKABIF open letter to see it.

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Hello mattyB and welcome to the forum.

I have to say until I read your post I had never heard of this UK ABI plan.
It seems to have slipped under my radar.

I daresay others will be able to shed light on some of the points you raise.

I am guessing 2001 is a type rather than the actual year when this plan was announced as it seems to have been delayed a very long time if that is the date, but also in 2001 Boris Johnson may not have been Prime Minister. That said, I have lost track of time :frowning:

Welcome and nice to meet you.

Namaste|
Jim
:pray:

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Hi @mattyB

Welcome to the community.

Our Online Community is a place for people to give and receive peer support for their ongoing journey which is why you haven’t really seen anything about the UK ABI plan.

We do have information on our website about our campaigns, if you’d like to have a read.

I hope you’ll find the Online Community a useful space. If you need anything whilst you’re using the Online Community, please don’t hesitate to tag me using the @ symbol and my username.

Anna

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No, not a typo, Boris Johnson’s government did announce it.

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From UK ABIF’s website - Brain injury is the leading cause of disability and death for people aged 0-40 in the UK, with an estimated hospital admission rate of one person with a brain injury every 90 seconds. The previous Government committed to publish a strategy on Acquired Brain Injury in 2021, but it was never published.

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Hi @mattyB just popping along to say hi & welcome to the community. As Anna has said we generally provide peer support to those affected by stroke which is probably why there hasn’t been mention of the UKABIF on here.

I will go away and look at it in more detail now.

Hope you’re getting on ok.

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Gotcha, I just think activism ispart of improving the lot of all survivors, so does constitute peer support really, and pointing out that there is nothing ABOUT THIS ON THIS FORUM OR THE sa CAMPAIGNS PAGE IS WORTH DOING.

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I hadn’t heard about this and have just signed the open letter because it concerns everyone living with damage as a result of a brain injury. Why I hadn’t heard about this, I feel can be better explained by Douglas Adams …

Prosser: “But Mr. Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months.”

Dent: “Oh yes, well, as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn’t exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them, had you? I mean, like actually telling anybody or anything.”

Prosser: “But the plans were on display…”

Dent: “Ah! And how many members of the public are in the habit of casually dropping around the local planning office on an evening?”

Prosser: “Er – ah.”

Dent: “It’s not exactly a noted social venue is it? And even if you had popped in on the off chance that some raving bureaucrat wanted to knock your house down, the plans weren’t immediately obvious to the eye, were they?”

Prosser: “That depends where you were looking.”

Dent: “I eventually had to go down to the cellar!”

Prosser: “That’s the display department.”

Dent: “With a flashlight”

Prosser: “Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.”

Dent: “So had the stairs.”

Prosser: “But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?”

Dent: “Yes, yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet, stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying Beware of the Leopard.”

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Just to save everyone from googling:The UK Government’s Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Action Plan has been delayed past its late June 2026 deadline, with no new publication date announced. This doesn’t surprise me in the least other than the FAST campaign there is not enough info.in the public sector about stroke,and in my experience the medical fraternity don’t know enough.yes,if we are on here we are alive,but many of us have serious deficits.stroke is the leading cause of disability worldwide.

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The cost will be more important to politicians, though.As we know, going on patient outcomes almost certainly won’tas that will require plenty of up-front investment with no measurable benefit for the politicians, and remember, this isn’t an issue which will go on a huge number of votes either; this is from UKABIF’s 2025 report on the cost of brain injur; numbers are mind-bending.£43 billion or 1.5% GDP;

The Cost to the UK Economy of Acquired Brain Injury

The report estimates that Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) costs the UK economy £43 billion annually in direct economic impacts, with a further £91.5 billion in wellbeing costs affecting individuals, carers, and families. It advocates for a statutory Right to Rehab and improved neurorehabilitation services to reduce long-term social and economic burdens.

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Hello @mattyB

Nice to see you here.

:backhand_index_pointing_up:We could definitely do with some of that!

Trace

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Rather ironically, looks like I myself did a typo in the above sentence (type instead of typo).

Not that it makes a huge difference to your message, but I was referring to the year 2001 - I believe Tony Blair was Prime Minister then.
Boris Johnson was more recent and perhaps it was 2021 when he announced the creation of the ABI plan.

image

I notice you are very passionate about this and I would love to see this pass through parliament and very much look forward to you shaking the hands of all the MPs who push it through :slight_smile:

Keep up the work you are doing and never lose that passion :slight_smile:

:pray: