Injured mum's plea for rehab teams

A Hucknall mum who suffered a severe brain injury after she was hit by a car driven by an uninsured motorist is campaigning against the threat of cuts to the service that helped her on the road to recovery.
Coun John Wilmott and Steph ParvinCoun John Wilmott and Steph Parvin
Coun John Wilmott and Steph Parvin

Steph Parvin, 28, was unable to talk or lead an independent life after the collision in Nottingham, in June 2007.

She was in a coma for five days and ‘as helpless as a two-year-old’ when she first came out of hospital, and now feels she owes a huge debt of gratitude to the Nottingham Traumatic Brain Injury Team for rehabilitation she received, including speech therapy.

She said proposed cuts by Nottingham North and East Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) would mean brain-injury patients only getting one hour a week after-care for 16 or 18 weeks.

She claimed: “This is just not enough for the brain to get back to any normality or for the patient to achieve any goals to get back to a positive life. Any part of the brain that gets damaged is life-changing.

“Without the help and support of the wonderful rehab teams, there would be a lot of people suffering.”

Before the accident, Steph worked at the Tesco Extra superstore on Station Road, Hucknall, and she returned there in May 2008, now working at its petrol station.

She lives with her partner, Simon, and one-year-old daughter, Lavinia Ivy.

Steph was awarded compensation in a legal case against the car driver, who was a provisional licence holder and had no insurance.

Metal was put in her left leg, which was shattered in the accident, and she cannot walk far. She also still experiences memory loss.

Dr James Hopkinson, clinical lead for the CCG, wanted to reassure local people that they were looking at ways to deliver the service more effectively and efficiently.

He stressed that it was not a case of the service being removed.

A petition at www,change.org (search for Nottingham Traumatic Brain Injury Team), to oppose the cuts already has more than 900 signatures.

The issue will be discussed at Arnold Civic Centre on Tuesday, January 17, at 1.30pm, before a decision on February 2.