Why Brains Matter

The Neurological Alliance launched a survey entitled ‘Our Brains Matter’ as part of the 2013 Brain Awareness Week, 11-17 March.

Brain Awareness Week is a global campaign to increase public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research.

The aim of the Our Brains Matter survey is to develop a clear picture of the experience of being diagnosed with a neurological condition in the UK. With the evidence gathered, the Neurological Alliance will push for improvements in the diagnosis of all neurological conditions.

The Neurological Alliance is the collective voice for 10 million children, young people and adults in England with a neurological condition. It is a membership organization consisting of more than 70 national brain and spine organizations.

The coalition of charities has warned that a ‘legacy of neglect’ is preventing an estimated 12 million people living with neurological conditions in the UK from gaining vital treatment.

According to the Neurological alliance this is due to a lack of specialist knowledge and haphazard services.

‘Around one in six people in the UK will experience a neurological condition in their lifetime,’ explains Arlene Wilkie, Chief Executive of the Neurological Alliance, ‘Yet little is being done to ensure that the NHS is fit for purpose when it comes to responding to these complex conditions.’

Taken from Practice Nursing, published 19 Mar 2013.