About Headway - the brain injury association

Headway, the brain injury association, is the UK’s leading voluntary organisation dedicated to promoting understanding of all aspects of brain injury and to providing support, information and services to people affected by brain injury. 

In the UK every year, more than one million people sustain a brain injury. Many will suffer no long term affects but, unfortunately, 11,000 people each year will sustain a brain injury so serious they will need round the clock care for the rest of their lives.   

Today Headway helps more than 80,000 people each year including brain injury survivors, their families and carers. It does this through its:

Network of 110 groups and branches located throughout England, Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland. From self help groups and activities to over 60 Headway houses, which provide rehabilitation and respite care, Headway groups and branches provide an umbrella of support to brain injury survivors, their families and carers.

Publications relating to practical aspects of brain injury. These are available directly to people affected by brain injuries and to professionals who distribute the information on behalf of Headway. All of the current 27 publications are written by experts and titles include: “Psychological Effects of Brain Injury”, Driving after Brain Injury” and “Welfare Benefits after Brain Injury”. These information guides are often invaluable in helping people affected by brain injury come to understand and deal with their changed circumstances.

Telephone Helpline, which provides practical information about all aspects of brain injury to survivors, families, carers and professionals. Last year, Headway received more than 5,000 enquiries through the Helpline alone. The Helpline number is 0808 800 2244.

Lobbying government to improve services for people affected by brain injury. Most recently, Headway successfully sought for improvements in the operation of the welfare benefit system, with regard to the Disability Living Allowance. Through joint working with the DLA Advisory Board, advice describing the problems associated with a brain injury will now be included in the guidebook for staff assessing Disability Living Allowance claims.

Conferences, which are devised and run for professionals who work within the brain injury field. 

Our history

In the 1970’s, the success of improved medical services resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of people surviving a brain injury. 

Tragically, this led to an equally dramatic increase in the number of survivors left with severe brain injury. As a direct result, Headway was established in 1979 to help provide support and services to brain injury survivors, their families and carers. 

Since then, Headway has developed in the UK’s leading charity dedicated to providing support and services to brain injury survivors, their families and carers. 

It helps more than 80,000 people each year through a variety of means including: its network of groups and branches, a telephone Helpline and a wide range of publications. 

Today, Headway relies almost entirely upon voluntary donations to continue to provide support and services to people affected by brain injury.