Recent research by Aspire, a charity supporting people with spinal injuries, revealed that 25% of spinal injury patients were discharged into care homes or non specialist hospitals due to a lack of appropriate housing. Most spinal injury patients went back to their own home before adaptations required to enable independent living were completed. Only 30% of patients from one specialist centre were discharged to appropriate housing.
There are 8 specialist NHS spinal injuries centres in England with one each in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Approximately 1,000 people suffer spinal injuries each year. The majority of spinal injuries are caused by serious road traffic accidents or falls (mostly falling from height). Aspire’s research reveals that the average cost of adaptations to victim’s homes is £17,000 and, although grants are available from the local authority, they take time to process which is why spinal injury victims often go back to their own home before adaptations are completed. The problem with this is that spinal injury victims are increasingly reliant on others and they lose the independent living skills learnt whilst at a specialist centre.
If you have suffered a spinal injury through an accident that wasn’t your fault, Lawson-West, solicitors, can assist in arranging for rehabilitation. Lawson-West can also assist in getting you the adaptations to your home that you need for independent living. In addition, Lawson-West may be able to recover compensation for loss of future earnings or for retraining if you can no longer do the job you were doing when you had your accident, depending on the nature of injuries and medical advice. If you have been injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault, please phone Ashley Hunt on 0116 212 1119 now or complete the on-line form or text ‘accident’ to 07802 825520 and we’ll call you back.
