About this event
Mental health changes are very common following a brain injury – indeed, research has show that 1 in 5 survivors of TBI report mental health difficulties. In this webinar, our speakers will explore mental health and brain injury, and the difficulties in navigating services following a brain injury.
Due to post-injury dysfunction in the way the brain communicates, existing mental health conditions can be made worse, and in many cases, conditions may develop due to the impact of life changes, physical and emotional trauma, and the arduous process of recovery.
Common mental health conditions can include anxiety and depression, psychosis, OCD, mood swings, PTSD, bipolar disorders and problems with sleeping and fatigue. People can experience overwhelm as the brain adapts to processing information in new ways, and cognitive impairment may also result in patients feeling frustration and anger.
Hosted by Dr Edmund Bonikowski, speakers include Clinical Neuropsychologist Dr Laura Bach, Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine & Neuropsychiatry, Dr Koko Naing, Director Solicitor Jemma Morland of EMG Solicitors and Dr Rebecca Brady, GP and Medical Director of Health and Case Management.
In this webinar, our expert speakers will explore a range of topics, including:
- The overlap between brain injury and mental health
- The impact on family, relationships, and the legal process
- Securing the right funding and case management support
- Accessing and navigating treatment and services
The panel is open to your questions during the event.
Book Tickets
Meet Your Speakers
Jemma Morland
Director Solicitor, EMG Solicitors Limited
Co Founder and Director of EMG Solicitors, Jemma leads the Court of Protection department, working as a Solicitor specialising in all matters pertaining to complex, international and high value cases with the Court of Protection and Trust administration. Managing the affairs of a large number of vulnerable people, usually those who have lost capacity due to an injury at birth, catastrophic accidents, illness or learning disability, Jemma has a wealth of experience in personal injury litigation and pre and post settlement administration.
Jemma also manages personal injury trusts, where the client has capacity but their personal injury award needs to be protected, and provides advice to lay deputies or trustees.
Dr Laura Bach
Clinical Neuropsychologist, Croydon University Hospital & NRC Medical Experts
Dr Bach is the Lead Clinical Neuropsychologist in Acute Stroke at Croydon University Hospital. Her research interests include Music Mindfulness in acquired brain injury and stroke, the exploration of social cognition and quality of life as predictors of long-term outcomes in the community in acquired brain injury patients, the association between executive function and self-awareness in acquired brain injury patients.
She is also researching the development of a brief screening instrument for assessing social cognition in ABI. In 2018, Dr Bach was awarded Expert Witness of the Year in in recognition of her specialised knowledge and experience within Professional Negligence.
Dr Rebecca Brady
Medical Director, HCML (Health and Case Management Ltd)
Dr Rebecca Brady is a qualified GP and practises in Bedfordshire. She brings a broad background in different areas of medicine, initially training in psychiatry before specialising as a GP. She also has a special interest in dermatology, menopause and chronic disease management. With a patient-centric focus, Dr Brady takes a holistic approach, bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge from the NHS to deliver the best outcomes for her patients.
She was appointed as Medical Director for HCML (Health and Case Management Ltd) in January 2022, and in this role oversees the clinical care provided through HCML’s rehabilitation services. This includes providing clinical leadership across the specialist medical divisions and being responsible for defining the vision of quality improvement and upholding clinical governance for the business. As part of this, Dr Brady is also responsible for supporting the wellbeing of HCML’s employees.
Using her extensive knowledge and experience of the healthcare sector, building on the already great reputation that HCML has established and drive new and innovative initiatives that will keep the business moving forward and providing high-quality patient care.
Dr Koko Naing
Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine & Neuropsychiatry
Dr Naing is a Consultant in Neurological Rehabilitation currently working at Glenside Hospital in Wiltshire.
Dr Naing specialises in brain and spinal cord injury and is familiar with the latest evidence on these conditions especially in the field of patient functional recovery and prognosis.
He is a member of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine and the British Neuropsychiatric Association.
Dr Edmund Bonikowski
Panel Chair & Founder NRC Medical Experts
Dr Bonikowski, a consultant in rehabilitation medicine with over 25 years experience, has held acute and community-based NHS posts in neurological and amputee rehabilitation. Currently, he is the consultant at the Somerset Neurological Rehabilitation Centre and is leading the expansion of NHS neurological rehabilitation services in Somerset. Dr Bonikowski has been a consultant to several independent inpatient providers including The Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability.
He founded and led the independent rehabilitation and case management provider, Kynixa, between 2001 and 2010 which delivered comprehensive clinical and vocational rehabilitation programmes to approximately 1200 people severely injured in accidents. In April 2014, Dr Bonikowski began accepting medico-legal referrals and now completes around 30 reports each year for people with brain, spinal cord and brachial plexus injuries arising from accidents and clinical negligence.