A quick guide to BIRT
Founded in 1992, The Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust (BIRT) is Europe’s largest provider of rehabilitation services to people with acquired brain injury.
BIRT is a division of The Disabilities Trust, a leading charity which provides services to people with physical disability, learning disability and autism as well as brain injury.
BIRT supports over 550 people at services across England, employing over 65 clinical staff including psychologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech and language therapists.
Our services
We offer a range of services to people with acquired brain injury including:
assessment and rehabilitation
longer term continuing rehabilitation
transitional living units for people preparing to live more independently in the community
community services in around 13 towns and cities for people at the later stages of rehabilitation.
Our services are continually evolving in response to need.
In 2007, we launched our first partnership with the NHS in Goole. Our new 25-bedded independent hospital, Graham Anderson House, has just opened in Glasgow. We expect to commence building our new rehabilitation centre in Wales in 2011.
Our approach
The Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust has developed its own system of brain injury rehabilitation over the years using a psychology-led neurobehavioural approach to rehabilitation.
The neurobehavioural approach combines the best evidence-based, scientific methods of training and changing behaviour with an understanding of the exact nature of brain injury and a philosophy of community based rehabilitation. The focus is on rehabilitation carried out in real-life settings.
Clincal expertise
BIRT’s reputation for clinical excellence is safeguarded by our Clinical Executive, which brings together a leading team of clinicians from across the UK including internationally respected names such as Professor Mike Oddy, Dr Camilla Herbert and Dr John Freeland.
The BIRT Clinical Executive is responsible for setting models and standards of service delivery, auditing services, promoting clinical governance, training and research.
In 2006, BIRT became the first brain injury rehabilitation provider in the UK to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), an independent, not-for-profit organisation founded in 1966 to promote quality rehabilitation services. BIRT has just been re-accredited by CARF for all its brain injury services for the maximum possible period of three years.
BIRT’s expertise is widely sought by other organsations. In 2008, for example, BIRT published new tests which enable clinical neuropsychologists to measure how much a brain injury is affecting someone’s memory and information processing. The BIRT Memory and Information Processing Battery is now widely used in the field.
Satisfaction
Our 2008 satisfaction survey revealed that 99% of referrers responding to a questionnaire were satisfied or more than satisfied with our services. 90% of service users responding to the survey were happy, more than happy or extremely happy with our service. 99% of families were satisfied or more than satisfied with our services.
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