Give our son a life to look forward to

A COUPLE are fighting to get specialist rehabilitation vital for their son's recovery from severe head trauma. They have the backing of a brain injury charity and the Health Department is sympathetic.

But it says it just does not have the money to help, blaming States spending controls.

'It is anticipated that the department will overspend this year, again because of the cost of off-island treatment, without having introduced the new services that are needed and having taken further steps to cut expenditure on on-island services,' said a spokesman.

'It also appears likely that next year's budget will be insufficient to introduce any new services, following the States' decision on capping expenditure.'

But Treasury and Resources minister Lyndon Trott said that Health was well funded and how it spent this year's £87m. revenue allocation was its own affair.

Over the four years 2003-6 inclusive, Health's budget had increased by more than 7.5% in real terms, he said.

'States budgets have increased by only 2.7% overall during the same period.'

It got 26.9% of States spending in 2003 and this year 28.7%, he said.

Myles Gavey, 18, almost died in a scooter crash in the Grand Bouet on Saturday 11 August.

After nine days in the Wessex Neurological Centre, he was sent back to Guernsey. This is current practice for local patients after their condition has stabilised.

'We thought it was good to get him home but did not realise the specialist aftercare he needed was not available here,' said father Rodney, a roofer, 41. Mother Simone Gavey, 40, is a carer for the elderly.

The Health spokesman said that with just four to six such cases a year it was not able to provide an acute neurosurgical service.

'Sending four patients a year to the UK for specialist rehabilitation would cost about £225,000,' he said.

Augmenting the island's neuro-rehabilitation service - which deals primarily with strokes - would cost about £420,000 a year.

'The board of the HSSD wishes to introduce this service, as well as a number of other services that it cannot currently afford. These include colorectal cancer screening, vaccination against cervical cancer and further development of the mental health and community care services,' said the spokesman.

'The relative priority of all these, compared with some of the existing services is currently being considered.'

Myles's parents told how, suffering post traumatic amnesia, he was taken to Arnold Ward at the PEH. He had no idea where he was or why he was there. He awoke to find himself surrounded by four elderly men and climbed out of his bed, damaging his knee.

He was then moved on to Victoria Wing where he remains.

'At one point he said to me ?I want to slice my throat and put a gun to my head?,' said his mother.

'Because he'd just woken up from a coma he needed to be in a quiet place with one-to-one nursing 24/7. We were told that stability and consistency were really important at that stage. It is like a jigsaw puzzle and he is trying to fit all the pieces back together.

'He has hardly eaten for three weeks. He doesn't understand why he can't come home. He decided several times he was packing his bags and going home and was on the front lawn waiting for a bus.'

He sat there for 90 minutes with his father and a nurse.

If anybody tries to restrain him he can become frustrated and lash out through no fault of his own.

It is too early to know if he has suffered a permanent brain injury.

'We have no idea - it's frightening,' said Mrs Gavey.

The only rehabilitation offered locally is at the King Edward VII Hospital, sharing with the elderly.

His parents fear that being around much older people would further distress him and are desperate to get him rehabilitation in the UK within a few weeks.

'What kind of future has he if he can't get the rehabilitation he needs?' asked his parents.

Shelaine Green, who chairs brain injury charity Headway Guernsey, backed the Gaveys' call.

'Myles's family have had an incredibly exhausting time, both physically and emotionally. Now they are faced with the strain of having to fight to get funding for the specialist rehabilitation that their son's doctor says he needs. I appeal to the States to resolve this.'

Mrs Gavey said: 'All we want is the best possible care for our son which is what he deserves. We just want to make sure he has a life to look forward to.'