Head injury has been recognised as a separate disability for the first time in England, thanks to the work of Mr Michael Munro, a retired pharmacist.
In April, 1989, The Journal reported the story of Mr Munro's son Nick, who sustained a brain injury in a car accident (PJ, April 22, 1989, p467). Since the article was published, Nick's life had much improved and he was now able to work and live independently, Mrs Pamela Munro (also a retired pharmacist) told The Journal on February 1.
Mr and Mrs Munro set up a local branch of Headway, the brain injury association, in Tunbridge Wells. In 1992, Mr Munro was elected as the Headway representative on Tunbridge Wells community health council. Following years of campaigning, social services told Mr Munro that a separate category for people with head injury would be placed in the community care plan for 1999-2002, which he then helped to write. This was important because people with head injury had been "slipping through the net" as their disability had not been recognised because they had no physical or sensory loss, Mr Munro told The Journal on February 2. As a result, they did not receive appropriate benefits.
The objectives of the community care plan include identifying the number of people with head injury in Kent and the level of support they need, and to provide information to the public about head injury. It also aims to support a range of services for people with head injury, including promoting the development of rehabilitation and day care centres, housing provision and educational and employment opportunities.
Mr Munro said that he would like the medical and pharmaceutical professions to know about head injury and the work of Headway. He hoped that other local social services would also recognise head injury as a separate disability and that resources would be found to meet the objectives set out in the community care plan. Mr and Mrs Munro would be interested to hear from other pharmacists involved with Headway (tel 01892 541250).