We would like to express our huge thanks to the Big Lottery for their ongoing belief in the quality and necessity of our work. This is our fourth successful application over the past decade. The Abi Satellite Service builds on the success of our previous Community Brain Injury Projects and now offers the addition of a number of Satellite centres across the county, bringing our services nearer to those that need them, within their own community.
The service provides essential support for those affected by brain injury in adjusting to a changed life. Information, advocacy and practical and tangible support can be offered to individuals, their families and carers. There are some 3500 new cases of acquired brain injury across Oxfordshire every year and those affected can have very complex needs that can vary enormously. Our team have the expertise to support this group effectively and efficiently.
The success of this bid could have not come at a time of more need, given the proposed catastrophic cuts being implemented by Oxfordshire County Council in their latest round of cuts. Oxford Head Injury Services is one of many voluntary sector providers of social care services within the Oxfordshire community who have been told that their funding is being withdrawn as from 2016. Despite this fantastic Big Lottery grant Oxford Head Injury Services will at the very least be cutting its services next year and quite possibly be unable to sustain ANY services going forward, without further investment and support from commissioners and the community at large.
I would like to ask all those living in the county to join Oxford Head Injury Services in condemning these cuts to the most vulnerable members of our community by sending their views into OCC via the “spending options paper” that can be found on the OCC website.
