Action for Brain Injury week (ABI) week 2026

This week marks Action for Brain Injury week (ABI) week, a national campaign led by Headway to raise awareness of acquired brain injury and its lasting impact on individuals and families.

The 2026 campaign is focused on “Isolation after Acquired Brain Injury, raising awareness, reducing stigma and highlighting the unseen challenges faced by survivors and families.

ABI Week provides an important platform for organisations such as Headway UK and The Child Brain Injury Trust to call for better services and support for those affected by brain injury, including better rehabilitation, community services and care. It is also an opportunity to advocate on behalf of brain injury survivors and families, shine a light on individual experiences and strengthen the public’s understanding and recognition of their difficulties.

As a trustee and Secretary for Headway Northumberland, we recognise how lucky we are to have access to the Northumberland Brain Injury Service, a specialist community-based service, and Walkergate Park Centre for Neurorehabilitation and Neuropsychiatry in Newcastle upon Tyne. both of which provide incredible support and rehabilitation for survivors of brain injury.

However, this level of support is not consistent across the UK. Many regions do not have access to the same coordinated community services.

Lack of funding and co-ordinated services results in people being discharged with no or little support in the community. In my role at Minster Law supporting those with brain injuries, early rehabilitation is crucial to maximise recovery, and a lack of community services results in vulnerable people being left unsupported to manage their injury alone.

The scale of the issue is significant. Headway’s most recent statistics shows that in 2023-24 there were 355,409 UK hospital admissions for acquired brain injury, translating to approximately 919 admission per day equating to one every 90 seconds. This is a stark statistic given the lack of available community services in some areas once people are discharged from hospital.

The economic and societal impact is equally profound. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Acquired Brain Injury and UKABIF published a report ‘The Cost to the UK Economy of Acquired Brain Injury’ in May 2025 which exposed the enormous annual cost of ABI to the UK. There have yet to be any real policy shifts by the government in terms of ABI rehabilitation, and the APPG are working on updating the evidence to present a clear case for urgent reform.

“Action for Brain Injury Week is a timely reminder that recovery does not end at hospital discharge. For many, that is when the real challenges begin. Addressing isolation, improving access to rehabilitation and ensuring consistent community support must remain a priority if we are to better support individuals and families navigating life after brain injury.” says Rachael Jobson, Partner at Minster Law.