As a clinical negligence solicitor specialising in spinal injury claims, I recently attended the Spinal Injuries Association Rebuilding Lives Conference 2025 where I listened to some thought-provoking speeches and gained further insight into the struggles many people with a spinal cord injury endure.

The Rebuilding Lives conference is an annual event to bring together Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) patients, clinicians, legal professionals and decision-makers to discuss themes and develop knowledge in respect of SCI. The theme of the 2025 conference was “Lived Experience at the Heart of Change: Working Together Towards a National Spinal Cord Injury Strategy” and focused on the lived experiences of those who have a spinal cord injury together with the SIA’s proposal to develop a national strategy for management of SCI patients, building on the call to action from the 2024 event.

The impact of a spinal cord injury

As a legal professional investigating spinal injury claims, the conference was invaluable to highlight the impact of SCI in a broader context and day-to-day struggles faced by those with a spinal cord injury.

The presentations were a mix of personal stories of those with SCI and the difficulties faced in the community after discharge from hospital, the lack of availability of much-needed support and equipment, such as appropriate wheelchairs and accessible housing, as well as information in respect of specific issues such as bowel care and travel.

The personal stories reflect the impact spinal cord injury has had on my clients and the resilience shown in order to continue rehabilitation in a community setting, often where support is minimal after discharge from hospital.

The Rebuilding Lives Awards celebrated the contributions of individuals to the SCI community who have made a positive difference in areas such as rehabilitation, tissue viability and promoting SCI causes.

National Spinal Injury Strategy

The main focus of the conference was the SIA’s consultation into a National Spinal Injury Strategy which began in 2024 and has led to a 10-charity coalition and the launch of an inquiry into the need for such a strategy by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for SCI.

The aim is for the government to commit to publishing a full National Spinal Cord Injury Strategy within 12-24 months to be prepared alongside those with lived experience of SCI in order to improve services, access to the services required and shift the care from hospital-led to community-based support with prevention of complications before they arise. The findings will be presented to the government on 27 October 2025.

Key spinal cord injury statistics

Key statistics were stark in that almost 80% of people with SCI did not have access to NHS specialist spinal cord injury centres in the key acute, early rehabilitation phase. There are 4,400 new cases of spinal cord injury per year in the UK and the estimated number of SCI patients in the UK is 105,000 with a dearth of accessible housing options and postcode lotteries in respect of availability of equipment.

The conference proposed practical solutions for these issues particularly in respect of early prevention before issues arise which can have a significant impact on those with SCI, potentially leading to hospitalisation if not treated early, at a cost not only to the individual but also to the taxpayer, which could have been avoided with community-based early prevention.

Clinical negligence claims

In clinical negligence claims, SCI cases can arise from a number of sources such as misdiagnosis, failure to treatment conditions such as cauda equina syndrome or surgical error. The potential range of symptoms are broad encompassing pain, neuropathic elements such as numbness, pins and needles and burning sensation, weakness and lack of mobility together with bladder, bowel and sexual dysfunction. As the conference highlighted, the current system does not work for such a broad range of potential symptoms and a National Strategy to ensure access to the necessary services for all SCI patients, regardless of location, is required.

The conference’s emphasis on lived experience helped illustrate the impact of SCI on individuals. Whilst compensation can assist in access to the services required, there is a need for a broader strategy to ensure access to the services required, particularly in the early acute phase of rehabilitation when often claims are still being investigated but the period is crucial to long-term rehabilitation and positive outcomes in terms of physical and mental health.