The Northern Neurological Alliance is a volunteer led charity, founded as a voluntary organisation in 2010 and established as a charity and company limited by guarantee in 2011.
Our aim is to promote the needs of those in the North East of England by supporting individuals and families affected by a neurological condition through signposting, campaigning to influence policy / service design and delivery, and provide a collective voice for those who cannot speak up for themselves which we are about to re-launch through our ‘Invisible Patient’ campaign. We also provide information services, undertake or commission research studies and provide training to help improve the standards of services for individuals with Neurological Conditions.
There are between 300-600 neurological conditions and approximately 200,000 people living with a neurological condition in the region we cover.
The poor management of neurological conditions is a prevalent problem in the North East. The most recent local data estimates that nearly 15,000 admissions to hospital in the North East were primarily due to one of the selected long term neurological condition (LTNC). The report also estimates that over 53,000 finished consultant episodes had LTNC coded as co-morbidity or main diagnosis. The scale of the problem is huge. This is an opportunity to get involved in raising standards across the board so that individuals living with neurological conditions are empowered to play an active role in their support plans including how their condition is managed (self-management), the care / support received and meaningful contribution to their community through activities, volunteering and employment – providing opportunity to fulfil life goals and live as independently as possible.
A key focus for the Northern Neurological Alliance is 'Individual Empowerment' for those living with or recently diagnosed with a Neurological Condition such as Stroke, Parkinson’s Disease, MS and Acquired Brain Injury to name a few. To provide the 'Individual Empowerment' for our Beneficiaries, we focus our project work around 3 key areas:
1. Care
2. Staying Well
3. Work and meaningful activity
Added to our project work is the development of a membership base which will include key partner charities with a common interest in supporting those with neurological conditions, Neurological Ambassadors, family members and those Individuals living with a neurological condition. Our philosophy is that ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ and that by bringing together those who wish to action change and acting as a collective voice is the only way to influence positive, long-term developments for those all those affected by a neurological condition.
