Industry News | Jul 24, 2026 | No Comments |
Action plan on brain injury
Call for end to government procrastination on ABI Action Plan
Page updated July 2026
The UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum (UKABIF) has called on the Government to end years of delay and immediately publish its long-promised Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Action Plan.
500 leading voices from across politics, healthcare, research and the brain injury community signed an open letter demanding action, after five years of procrastination.
Unprecedented coalition demanding action
The unprecedented coalition includes MPs and peers from across the political spectrum, clinicians, rehabilitation specialists, researchers, charities and people living with acquired brain injury, all urging the Government to finally deliver a national plan that has been promised in various forms in the last five years since 2021.
Among those backing the call are Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats Daisy Cooper MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Acquired Brain Injury Sir John Hayes MP (Conservative), former Labour Education Secretary Baroness Estelle Morris, and Labour MP Andy McDonald.
Significant cost to the UK economy
The call comes as evidence continues to highlight the enormous human and economic impact of acquired brain injury. Independent research commissioned by UKABIF estimates that ABI costs the UK economy £43 billion every year – equivalent to around 1.5% of GDP – through healthcare costs, lost productivity, reduced employment and the long-term impact on individuals, families and public services.
Campaigners argue that better access to rehabilitation and coordinated support would not only improve lives but also reduce long-term costs to the NHS, social care system and wider economy.
Action Plan delayed yet again
The open letter follows a Parliamentary Reception hosted by the APPG on Acquired Brain Injury on 7 July where stakeholders were told the Action Plan had once again failed to meet its latest publication deadline, despite expectations it would be released by the end of June.
Speaking at the event, Sir John Hayes MP, chair of the APPG, warned that patience within the brain injury community had run out.
“If we get this plan and it’s not what we hoped it would be, if it’s watered down, if there are gaps—that won’t be good enough and we’ll have to say so. If it’s not published, we’ll have to get a bit more insistent, dare I say we will launch a fiercely unrelenting campaign unless the government keeps its promise to publish the long awaited plan.”
Strategic national approach promised for five years
The Government has been promising coordinated national action on acquired brain injury for over five years. An original commitment to develop a national strategy was made in 2021, before evolving into an Acquired Brain Injury Action Plan. Most recently, Ministers promised publication in Autumn 2025, before delaying it until Spring 2026. Stakeholders were then told the plan was expected by the end of June 2026, but that deadline also passed without publication.
Campaigners say the repeated delays have left thousands of people living with acquired brain injury waiting for improvements to rehabilitation, health, education, employment and community support, despite years of policy development and cross-government engagement.
Leading cause of death and disability
Brain injury remains the leading cause of death and disability among people under 40 in the UK, affecting hundreds of thousands of people every year through trauma, stroke, tumour, infection and other causes. Yet access to specialist rehabilitation and community support continues to vary dramatically depending on where people live.
At the Parliamentary Reception, UKABIF Chief Executive Chloe Hayward outlined the urgent need for coordinated national leadership, highlighting continuing inequalities in rehabilitation, education, employment and community support for people living with brain injury.
Jennifer Misak, health economist and author of the influential Right to Rehab report, who was seconded into the Department of Health and Social Care to help draft the Action Plan, explained the extensive work that has already gone into preparing the document and outlined what stakeholders can expect once it is finally published.
Attendees also raised concerns about support for veterans, improving understanding of brain injury in schools, links with social care and the criminal justice system, rehabilitation for older people, better data collection, and sustainable funding for local Headway groups and other community services.
UKABIF is now urging the Government to publish the Action Plan without further delay and has launched an open letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care calling for immediate action before Parliament rises for the summer recess.
Chloe Hayward, Chief Executive of UKABIF, said:
“People affected by acquired brain injury have waited long enough. Governments of different colours have recognised the need for a coordinated national approach, yet the Action Plan has still not appeared despite years of work and repeated promises.
“Every month this plan is delayed is another month in which people are denied the rehabilitation and coordinated support they need to rebuild their lives. The human cost is immense, but so too is the economic cost. Brain injury already costs the UK an estimated £43 billion every year.
“We know that timely rehabilitation and better coordinated services improve outcomes, help more people return to education and employment, and reduce long-term pressure on public services. Publishing this Action Plan is not simply the right thing to do—it is a sound investment in the nation’s health, economy and future.
“The extraordinary level of support for our open letter demonstrates that this issue transcends party politics. Parliamentarians, clinicians, researchers, charities and people with lived experience are speaking with one voice. We urge Ministers to honour their commitment and publish the Action Plan without any further delay.”
The open letter remains open for signatures. To sign the letter or find out more, visit www.ukabif.org.uk (external link will open in a new browser tab or window)
8 December 2025: Government to publish action plan early next year
A Health Minister has revealed that the Government will publish an action plan on brain injury next year. Research shows that brain injuries cost £43 billion a year, 1.5% of GDP.
In a letter to the Chair of the APPG on Acquired Brain Injury, Ashley Dalton MP, the Minister for Public Health and Prevention wrote that “publication in early 2026” is “realistic”. A debate on a comprehensive acquired brain injury action plan took place in Parliament last week.
Leading cause of disability and death
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 deliver a strategy on Acquired Brain Injury in 2021, but it was never published.
A report from earlier this year, Right to Rehab, commissioned by the APPG and the charity UKABIF, urged the Government to invest in specialist neurorehabilitation to save in long term societal costs.
Acquired brain injury (including trauma, stroke and tumours) costs the UK an estimated £43 billion a year, 1.5% of GDP, through healthcare, social care, lost productivity and wider public services.
The report argued that brain injury should be treated on a par with cancer and dementia, with a statutory Right to Rehab in every region, a national strategy, and better data to end the postcode lottery in care. The report highlights evidence of a 16:1 return on investment—with £43,000 generating £680,000 savings per patient.
The Minister’s letter says:
“The Right to Rehab report is front and centre in our thinking as we explore the feasibility and financial viability of a range of potential actions currently under consideration, including through the ten-year health plan. I know in particular how important better community rehabilitation is to people who have experienced an ABI.”
Weighing on hospital and prison services
There are around 350,000 admissions to hospitals in the UK of people with an acquired brain injury and up to 60% of prisoners have experienced a traumatic brain injury.
Sir John Hayes MP, Chair of the APPG, who in his youth experienced a brain injury, said:
“Brain injury doesn’t just change lives — it drives huge costs across society. If we want to tackle addiction, mental health crises and violence, we must start with the root cause: brain injury. It is time that people are given a right to specialist rehab close to home, and in doing so, we can save money while transforming lives.”
Chloe Hayward, Executive Director of UKABIF, said:
“This is very welcome news. Rehab isn’t a cost — it’s an investment. It cuts NHS and social care spending, boosts employment, and helps individuals and families. It transforms lives and strengthens communities — the benefits ripple out to everyone.”
Serious consequences of untreated brain injuries
Dr Alyson Norman, a psychology academic at the University of Plymouth, lost her brother Dave after a lifetime of untreated brain injuries led to addiction, homelessness and eventually suicide.
A review revealed “mild” injuries from childhood, including a road accident at three, that were never followed up.
“When I learned what was in his records, I went numb.
“I’d always blamed our background. Despite my expertise, I had been flying blind.
“Specialist community neurorehabilitation could have picked up the issues that led to his downward spiral.”
Brain injury implicated in violence and road accidents
Her own research into 600 serious case reviews found that nearly a third may involve brain injury, often linked to violence or road accidents. Yet support is patchy, and those affected can seem outwardly fine, even though they are three times more likely to take their own lives.
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Further reading and resources
The United Kingdom Acquired Brain Injury Forum (external link will open in a new browser tab or window)
Physio for people with complex neurological conditions
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