Brain Injury Rehabilitation Centre comes to Llanelli

WORK has started on a centre of excellence in Llanelli to help people who have sustained a brain injury.

The residential centre is being developed by the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust (BIRT), a national charity that helps people regain the skills lost as a result of a road accident, stroke, assault or illness. The Trust specialises in helping people who have a problem with understanding, socialising and behaviour as well as physical problems.

The Llanelli project, which will be the first of its kind in Wales, is designed to enable service users to live closer to their families and local community while they are undergoing rehabilitation.

BIRT helps people with a range of programmes that are aimed at the needs of people at different stages after their injury from initial assessment and rehabilitation, to community-based or long term residential support.

BIRT’s rehabilitation process involves a multi-disciplinary team of neuropsychologists, occupational, physio and speech and language therapists and specially trained support workers.

This approach supports each person to progress gradually from high dependence to the point where they can be as independent as possible.

The charity is currently seeking ideas from the local community about a name for the new service which will reflect the local area. Suggestions can be sent – in Welsh and English – to communications@thedtgroup.org

The service will provide accommodation for 24 adults in 18 en-suite bedrooms, two single bedroom flats for people approaching the point of being able to live independently, and a further four flats within a bungalow for long term use by residents who can live semi independently but who still need the continuing support and immediate availability of the professional team.

Around 50 full-time equivalent jobs will be created, ranging from clinical and management staff, through to care, support, kitchen and domestic teams.

The facility is being established within the Llanelli Waterside – a Joint Venture partnership between Carmarthenshire County Council and Welsh Government – and forms part of the Delta Lakes development zone.

Carmarthenshire County Council executive board member for regeneration and leisure Cllr Meryl Gravell said: “I’m delighted that work has begun on this centre for adults who have acquired brain injuries.

“It was great news when BIRT chose Llanelli Waterside for its Welsh centre of excellence which will benefit so many people.

“It will be a wonderful facility for people needing rehabilitation and will also help the area’s economy by providing much-needed local jobs.”

Economy Minister Edwina Hart welcomed the decision by BIRT to open a centre in Llanelli and said: “I am delighted that work is now underway on this new centre that will not only provide a highly specialised and valuable resource to help and support people with brain injuries but will also create a significant number of jobs that will provide a range of new employment opportunities.”

“Llanelli Waterside has benefited from considerable investment from the Welsh Government and Carmarthenshire County Council, working in partnership to regenerate and breathe new life into the area which is proving an attractive environment for businesses and organisations like BIRT.”

The Director of BIRT, Susan Munroe, said: “We hope this new centre will make a real difference to people in Wales who have suffered a brain injury. Work on the building is progressing well and we are already recruiting for some of the senior posts. We look forward to opening in Spring 2014.”