London brain injury unit to closeRSS Feed

A major treatment centre in London for people with brain injuries is set to close due to public sector cuts.

The Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit (BIRU) at Edgware Community Hospital in north London - one of just five such facilities in the capital - will close its doors tomorrow (March 26th), the Guardian reports.

Luke Griggs, a spokesman for Headway, said the organisation is "hugely concerned" about the closure, which could have an impact on local residents with acquired brain injury.

"The closure of BIRU, which provides vital specialist residential and out-patient services for people suffering from the effects of ABI, will put even greater pressure on the already overstretched rehabilitation services that remain in the capital," he told the newspaper.

News of the unit's closure comes shortly after it was announced that a cooling treatment for people who have suffered a cardiac arrest, which could prevent brain damage, has been designated a safe procedure by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.

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Posted by John Sherrington
 

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