BBK Manifesto 2025: Framework for lifelong brain injury rehabilitation
The NHS must roll out a nationwide plan to treat children with brain injuries from the moment they are born to give every child the best chance of rehabilitation, BBK says in its Manifesto for Injured People.
Brain injury can occur at any age, including the earliest stages of life. Babies may suffer brain injury during pregnancy, birth or shortly afterwards due to complications such as oxygen deprivation, infections or trauma, and the impact is often lifelong. According to CBIT, acquired brain injury continues to affect approximately 40,000 children and young people every year, with a significant number still unable to access appropriate support services or find relevant information that could help them achieve their potential.
Many of these cases involve children whose recovery depends on timely, structured support. Despite this urgent need, there is no consistent national strategy for rehabilitation from birth. Access to early therapies and coordinated care still depends heavily on location, creating a postcode lottery that can shape a child’s entire future.
Why early rehabilitation matters
The brain’s capacity to adapt is greatest in the earliest years of life. When rehabilitation begins early, the chances of improving physical abilities, communication, cognitive development and emotional resilience are significantly higher. Research published in the BMJ and Disability and Rehabilitation shows many children are discharged from hospital without appropriate rehabilitation or follow-up care.
This fragmented approach leaves families struggling to navigate complex systems across neonatal care, community health, education and social services, often at a time when they are still coping with the emotional impact of their child’s diagnosis. Parents are left with little to no knowledge of where to turn to for help, support and guidance.
What a national framework should include
The Government should introduce a legally backed National Framework for Brain Injury Rehabilitation from birth. Every NHS trust should be required to offer early neurorehabilitation from the point of diagnosis in neonatal or paediatric care, provide consistent access to therapies such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and psychological support, ensure seamless coordination with early years education and social care services, and carry out regular reviews so care can be adapted as the child grows and their needs change.
The cost of inaction
When babies and young children with brain injuries do not get timely rehabilitation, the effects can last a lifetime. These can include mobility problems, communication difficulties, learning disabilities and emotional or behavioural challenges. Many of these outcomes are made worse by delayed intervention rather than the injury itself. A lack of national coordination also increases long-term costs for the NHS, social care and the education system.
Families should not have to fight for the basic rehabilitation their child needs to have the best possible start in life.
A call to action
Every baby and child with a brain injury should have access to the same high standard of care, regardless of where they live. We urge the Government to work with NHS England, local authorities, clinicians and charities to create a National Framework for Brain Injury Rehabilitation from birth.
Brain injury can change the course of a child’s life in an instant. A consistent and joined-up approach can change it for the better. The time to act is now.
This blog is part of our 2025/26 Manifesto for Injured People. At Bolt Burdon Kemp, we support injured people not only by winning their cases but by driving change. Guided by our clients’ experiences and partnerships with charities across the UK, we are raising awareness of the change we need to see to better support injured people. We will continue working with politicians from all parties to ensure injured people’s needs are not overlooked in Westminster or beyond. You can read our full manifesto here.
