Our services

We provide goal focused rehabilitation, support and advice to individuals with an acquired brain injury diagnosis including those who have experienced: 

• Traumatic brain injury (for instance road traffic collisions, falls or assaults)
• Minor head injury and concussion (loss of consciousness of less than 15 minutes)
• Aneurysm (also known as a cerebral aneurysm)
• Brain haemorrhage
• Brain tumour
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• Encephalitis
• Hypoxic/anoxic brain injury (caused a reduction or loss of oxygen to the brain)
• Meningitis
• Stroke
• Functional Neurological Disorder  

Service contact: WHCNHS.acquiredbraininjuryteam@nhs.net 

What is an ABI?

A brain injury can cause behavioural and emotional changes, hormonal imbalances, difficulties with cognition and memory, a range of communication problems, physical effects and, very commonly, fatigue and sleep.  

These areas of need can then lead to the individual experiencing challenges in and around their home and workplace or engagement in community activities.

What we are able to offer:

Assessment and interventions within an individual’s home, local community or workplace as well as clinical settings if appropriate.  Collaboration with the individual, therapists and relevant other individuals such as friends, family, employers and other professionals. 

Interventions that are relevant to the individuals’ goals in a timeframe set by the individual and therapist.

• Complete sessions face to face or virtually. 
• Work alongside other services or organisations that could include: 
• Acute Outpatients Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy
• Community Speech and Language Therapy and Community Occupational Therapy
• Neurology colleagues including nurses, Physiotherapists and Neuropsychologist
• Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (3rd sector teams) including Headway
• Stroke Association, Onside, NHS Talking Therapies.

What do we do at an assessment?

Individuals will have an initial assessment to determine their goals that Acquired Brain Injury Occupational Therapist can support them with.  This can be within their own home or in clinic, dependent on the client’s needs.

We are able to assess:

• Thinking Skills (Cognition) 
• Upper Limb activity to engage in functional tasks
• Mood 
• Fatigue 
• Assess capability to complete specific functional activities within the home or workplace.

What interventions we may explore:

• Activities of Daily living such as personal care, food preparation and eating and drinking as well as their home management tasks (finance management, medication management, diary planning)
• Accessing the community including use of public transport or returning to driving 
• Returning to work or education of if this is not achievable how to successfully leave employment or education. This may include volunteering opportunities. 
• Upper limb rehabilitation with a focus on specific goals
• Supporting social interactions (identifying support groups, maintaining key relationships and roles) 
• Supporting with return to hobbies or interests. 
• Advising, sign posting and assessment of equipment or assistive technology 
• Management of financial skills 
• Fatigue Management and sleep hygiene
• Supporting engagement in physical activity such as accessing gym, sports or home exercise 
• Providing and utilising strategies to help with any ongoing cognition challenges.