With over 6,000 people living with Cerebral Palsy in Wales, and with March being the UK's Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, North Wales MS and Chair of the Senedd’s Cross-Party Group on Disability, Mark Isherwood, made a Statement in the Senedd today on the condition and called for support for Cerebral Palsy Cymru’s Early Intervention Baby Programme.
In his 90 Second Statement during this afternoon’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood stressed that the Programme currently receives no support from the Welsh Government or NHS Wales and raised concerns that it is not sustainable.
He said:
“This month is the UK's Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, when organisations across the UK come together to raise awareness of Cerebral Palsy, the most common disability in children worldwide, with over 6,000 people living with Cerebral Palsy in Wales and a baby born every five days in Wales who will have Cerebral Palsy.
“This condition affects posture and movement as a result of brain damage. It can also affect sensation, perception, cognition, communication, and eating and drinking. It makes activities that most of us take for granted, such as walking, talking, dressing and fine motor skills, difficult to do.
“Today, like some colleagues, I had the pleasure of attending Cerebral Palsy Cymru's lunchtime event. They are a national centre of excellence that provides therapy to children in Wales who have Cerebral Palsy. Their specialist team of therapists work together to offer transdisciplinary skills so that each child benefits from their combined expertise, as well as offering a family support service. At the event, we heard from some of the families they help and how Cerebral Palsy Cymru have made a positive impact on their lives.
“The Charity currently receives 0 per cent support from Welsh Government or the NHS to fund their Early Intervention Baby Programme, which is currently 100 per cent funded from fundraising and retail activities. However, this is not sustainable in the face of rising costs and demand for their services. As they say, and I'll conclude with this statement from them: 'We feel it is only fair that the Welsh Government contributes to a vital service, directly or via its NHS Wales funding, without which NHS Wales and Social Services Departments would incur significantly more cost and there would be greater health inequality for disabled people in Wales’.”