Headway Rotherham - the brain injury association.

Targeting GP Practices

Targeting GP Practices The Government Health Committee produced its Report on Head Injury Rehabilitation in 2001. Among its many findings, it stated that:
“Most GPs have a very limited understanding of the realities of head injury and its consequences. We recommend that GPs are made aware of the nature of head injury and of the services that are available”

During Brain Injury Awareness Week in March of this year, Headway UK chose as its theme the targeting of GPs.

In Headway Rotherham we considered this to be a most enlightened theme and Targeting GP Practices approached it very seriously. We organised an awareness-raising evening for GPs and Practice Managers. The PCT offered us their excellent facilities in which to hold the event and a sumptuous buffet was ordered. High quality speakers offered their services, including a neurosurgeon, a manager from the Hospital A & E Department, the Rehab Consultant, a senior manager from Social Services and a representative from Headway Rotherham.

Targeting GP Practices Individual letters were sent out to every one of the 151 GPs and 39 Practice Managers. This was followed by a phone call and an e-mail to each practice. In the event, only four GPs and 2 Practice Managers attended. Fortunately, the event was a success because a number of other health professionals heard about it and asked if they could attend.

Following this rather disappointing result, in spite of so much effort, we gave a lot of thought as to our next plan of action. We decided that if GPs were not interested in coming to an organised event, then maybe we could go into their practice meetings or target events in order to make a presentation about brain injury.

Targeting GP Practices
A PowerPoint presentation was prepared which focused on three main areas:
• The impact of brain injury on families and carers
• The consequences of brain injury
• The work of Headway Rotherham

Much of the material was based on the new leaflet produced by Headway UK, which was aimed at GPs, “Could it be a Brain Injury?”.
Targeting GP Practices
The first presentation took place in March and was so well-received that we made a concerted effort to contact every GP Practice in Rotherham in order to arrange a visit. However, this was not as easy as we thought it might be. Since March I have made 155 phone calls to Practice Managers in 39 practices in order to arrange a visit. This is a daunting task but we consider the effort made to be so worth-while. I have been into twelve practices and consider each visit to be highly successful and rewarding experiences. In most cases there have been GPs, Practice Managers, Practices Nurses, District Nurses and reception staff all present. Truly, it has provided enormous potential for awareness-raising at the very heart of the GP Practices.

Targeting GP Practices I received an e-mail from the Practice Manager of the most recent practice visited, in which he stated:

“I am writing with feedback regarding the recent presentation that you provided to our practice regarding the service and support provided by Headway to people with brain injury.

I have solicited feedback from the various people who attended the presentation, i.e. GP's, Nurses, Health Care Assistants and Administration Staff and the main points and learnings from your talk were as follows:-

Attendees were made aware and surprised by the extent of brain injury within the population

They were also surprised to learn how wide-reaching the impact of such injury has on the patient’s family and support network

The presentation highlighted how many different disciplines can be involved in the care and support of such patients

Finally, and I think most importantly, your own personal experience with your own son Dominic made the subject real although you didn't over sentimentalise the events leading up to and subsequent to Dominic's accident. The length of the talk was perfect.

On behalf of the practice I would like to extend our sincere thanks for a marvellous presentation which was well received by everyone and I would strongly recommend your organisation and its promotion, as displayed by you, to any body that would have an involvement in whatever way with people with head injuries.”

This process is not at an end. I have a further visit planned for December and intend to continue the policy of targeting GP Practices into the coming year.

I am confident now, after this exercise, that it could not be said of at least one third of the GPs in Rotherham that they have limited understanding of the realities of head injury and its consequences.

Bill Hurley
Chair – Headway Rotherham.

October 2006