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Rev. Martin Smyth (Belfast, South) (UUP): I am grateful to the hon. Lady for giving way on that point, because Garden Reach operated in my constituency until redevelopment meant that it had to move. Does she agree—indeed, this is the very point that she is making—that it is vital that after the acute sector has done its immediate work, we should not leave people without the back-up that is needed to give them the quality of life that the rest of us would like to have, and also that what is done should be done at minimum expense to the state?
Mrs. Robinson: I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments and totally concur with them. I shall deal with that point later in my speech.
We could consider the victims of road traffic accidents as examples. They will probably be admitted to intensive care after assessment in accident and emergency. Their gradual recovery will continue in one of the general hospital wards, and then the new regional brain injury unit at Musgrave Park hospital, where they will re-learn how to walk, talk and swallow. They will be attended by a rehab team of physiotherapists and speech and language therapists, and I pay tribute to the work
undertaken by staff at the hospital. However, after patients are discharged home, Reconnect represents the final stage for those with head injuries to get their lives back together again. Reconnect assists patients to return to work, or simply to function to the maximum as a normal human beings again through structured training programmes.With head injuries, a person's life can change dramatically in an instant. With a severe brain injury, an individual goes from being independent to being totally dependent, and from being capable to being incapable; everything about their lives becomes different. During the recovery period, there is a need not only to reconnect neurological paths, but at a deeper level, for people to reconnect socially and emotionally with their friends, families, therapists and society at large.
Training and rehabilitation focus on reconnecting lost skills and learning ways to compensate for abilities that have been permanently changed because of a brain injury. The brain is a dynamic organ, and as long as it receives repeated stimulation, chemical and physical changes occur to ensure that cells will react to that same stimulation in the future. Following a brain injury, the remaining tissue may set up new connections and pathways. The surrounding tissues in the brain try to take over the functions that were lost in the area of injury, so the brain tries to reconnect to the old pathways. That can occur only if a person is active. The brain does not adapt or try to recover if it is inactive—it must be stimulated. Rehabilitation involves stimulation, and that happens at Reconnect using information technology, office skills, horticulture and many other essential social skills.
Reconnect is a voluntary organisation that has been supported since 1995 by the European social fund. In 2002 the ESF doubled its funding, which allowed it to embark on plans to move away from its dilapidated premises on the Ormeau embankment and source new land to build the first purpose-built training facility for people with acquired brain injury in Northern Ireland. As a result of heavy capital investment from the European regional development fund, the European capital programme, a brand-new £750,000 training facility sits in the Castlereagh hills overlooking the city of Belfast. The new facility is greatly expanded from the old premises and can accommodate up to 15 staff and more than 60 trainees at any one time. On any day, it is likely to hold the highest concentration of people with an acquired brain injury under any one roof in the Province.
The facility is unique because it can train brain injury sufferers on site in areas as diverse as catering, in the kitchen and preparation areas; information technology, media and communications, in the computer suite; office and administration work, in the large, specially designed secretarial areas; and horticulture, in its specifically designed climate-controlled glasshouses, seeding area and polytunnels. It has numerous other training facilities in the large boardroom, the therapy room and additional offices.
In September 2003 staff numbers increased to 15, and in November the organisation was officially relaunched as Reconnect, bringing with it new corporate branding and a strategic vision for the future. The strategic plan was a realistic achievable vision that would enable the organisation to become a centre of excellence in the
provision of community-based training and the rehabilitation of people with acquired brain injury. Through a commitment to person-centred planning and an ethos of "whatever it takes", Reconnect set out to provide each trainee with their own training package based on their skills and desires, which is essential to attaining a positive outcome for someone with an acquired brain injury.Unfortunately, in December 2003 Reconnect received a letter stating that its application for core funding from the European social fund programme "Building Sustainable Prosperity", administered by the Department for Employment and Learning, had been unsuccessful. That occurred despite the fact that the organisation had surpassed the ESF's criteria for a quality organisation, thereby reaching the threshold for acceptance for funding. The decision to stop funding was taken by two civil servants and an independent member, and was based on information identical to that in previous successful applications. As the ESF provided more than 65 per cent. of Reconnect's core costs, which was match funded by other organisations, such as the disablement advisory service in the Department for Employment and Learning, Reconnect now faces closure on 30 March 2004. Up to 48 trainees will be denied access to training, 15 experienced and highly specialised staff face redundancy, and a brand new £750,000 ESF-supported purpose-built facility will be left derelict and unused.
One reason given for the failure of the application, apart from an overall reduction in European funding, is that Reconnect's services cut across the remit of several Government Departments. It appears that it has fallen between two stools. No service equivalent to Reconnect is currently provided by the statutory sector in Northern Ireland. In current circumstances, Reconnect simply does not have the finances to continue. It is ludicrous to end funding at this critical phase in its development, as it has received extensive support thus far. I therefore urge the Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the hon. Member for Basildon (Angela Smith), to intervene and support Reconnect in its appeal against the decision. I also encourage her to consider mainstreaming the organisation to allow its services to continue. Co-operation between Ministers with responsibilities for health and for employment and learning may be required.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that across the Province, 500 people a year sustain a head injury and would benefit from a service such as Reconnect. I trust that the Minister agrees that the organisation fulfils an important role and offers an invaluable service to many people across Northern Ireland. For that reason, I decided to seek this Adjournment debate, and I hope for her support in maintaining and optimising this critical service.
3.33 pm
Rev. Martin Smyth (Belfast, South) (UUP): Circumstances are fortuitous, because the hon. Member for Strangford (Mrs. Robinson) and the Minister would originally have had to wait until 7 o'clock for a half-hour debate. We could now have a debate lasting until 7 o'clock—although I have no intention of making my speech last until then. None the less, I shall take the opportunity to say a few things in support of the hon. Lady's request.
We hoped to have a meeting with the Minister to argue the case for supporting Reconnect. It is unfortunate that it has not been arranged yet, because there are time pressures and a decision could be made by the end of the week. However, this is a timely occasion for an Adjournment debate on the subject, and I congratulate the hon. Lady on securing it. She mentioned the work that is done and said that the figures would not tell us how many were injured in other parts of the Province. That is partly because the Royal Victoria hospital is the major trauma centre in Northern Ireland, and the Musgrave Park hospital in my constituency is the rehabilitation centre, which does a great deal of work for people throughout the Province.
Now we must deal with onward development. Even in speech therapy, there have been changes in recent years with growing recognition of the importance of stimulating people who have had strokes and lost the power of communication. It is fantastic to see some of the work being done.
One of the saddest statements that the hon. Lady made was about the concept of prosperity. So often that concept is used only in relation to finance, and takes no account of the physical, mental and social prosperity of people who have been so handicapped. There is a case to be made. I pay tribute to the work done at Musgrave Park and to the work of Reconnect. I hope the Minister will take the matter on board. Even though she spells her surname differently from mine, I believe we have a similar understanding of human nature.
We are talking about the seamless robe of Government and the fact that Government Departments have been reconnected. I hope that money can be found in the Department to keep that excellent work going on. It is strange that two civil servants and an external person acknowledged that money was needed in the past, but they say that there is no money now. There must be some way to find extra money, because the need still exists. The facilities are better than in the past and it would be tragic to lose them. I plead with the Minister to use her influence with her colleagues. If we can help her to put pressure on them, we shall be glad to do so.
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