Report Warns Of Hidden Toll Of Brain Injury Costs The Economy £43 Billion A Year

Specialist rehabilitation investment could reduce annual acute, longer term and social care costs facing the NHS and social services. This is according to a new report, titled Right to Rehab, commissioned by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Acquired Brain Injury and charity UKABIF (the UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum).

The Right to Rehab report, considers the economic impact of acquired brain injuries (ABI) including traumatic brain injuries, stroke and brain tumours.

It estimated the impact to the economy – including lost productivity, NHS care and the cost of benefits – totals £43bn per year, though the true figure is likely to be higher as limited data is available on the impact on mental health, addiction and homelessness services.

Those costs include a £20bn impact on the NHS and social care, £21.5bn in lost productivity to the economy, and £1.5bn in costs to education and the criminal justice system. In addition, the Department for Work and Pensions is estimated to spend £1.9bn annually on benefits for those with acquired brain injuries.

The Right to Rehab report argues that brain injury should be put on the same footing as other major conditions such as cancer, dementia and coronary heart disease, which have economic burdens of a similar scale and the same focus on public health prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.

It makes five recommendations to policymakers including a statutory ‘Right to Rehab’ led by clinical specialists in every UK region. This, the report says, could be funded by savings elsewhere such as acute care and social services.

It also recommends a new strategy and better use of data to end the postcode lottery in neuro-rehabilitation services, along with a cross-Whitehall standing committee to break down barriers between government departments to deliver a strategy for Acquired Brain Injury which has been discussed in draft for several years.

There are around 350,000 admissions to hospitals in the UK of people with an acquired brain injury. A study by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Prisons showed that up to 60% of prisoners have experienced a traumatic brain injury.

Sir John Hayes MP, Chair of the APPG, who experienced a brain injury in his youth said:
“This isn’t just a debilitating condition for those impacted, who may find themselves suddenly unable to work, function or walk in the way they are used to, it is also a huge cost to society and the economy. If we are to treat some of the most serious societal problems including addiction, mental health crises and violence, we need to look at the root cause – which in the majority of cases is a brain injury. By giving patients a right to specialist rehabilitation in the communities they live in, we can save money and improve lives.”