Spinal Injuries Charities

Here at MCSI we have a close relationship with a number of different charities that provide support to people and their families following spinal cord injury.

You can look on the different charity websites to find out more about the kinds of support they offer, which may be helpful to you. The websites also have lots of information and resources about life with SCI.

Contact details for the charities that we work closely with are provided below:

SCI Charity	Telephone number	Web page
Aspire	020 8954 5759	Aspire supports people with Spinal Cord Injury
Back Up Trust	020 8875 1805	Back Up Spinal Cord Injury Charity
Peer Advice Services UK	01788 227347	Peer Advice Services UK - Peer Advice Services UK
Spinal Injuries Association	0800 980 0501	We are the expert, guiding voice for life after spinal cord injury - SIA

Charity Representatives

We also have representatives from each of these charities that are available within the centre on a weekly basis. All of the representatives that attend the centre have experienced a spinal cord injury themselves.

They are happy to speak with any patient or family member about their experiences as well as providing information about the charity which they are here to represent.

Whilst everyone's specific injury and life situation can be very different, many people find it enormously helpful to speak to real people with lived experience of a similar situation.

Specific days that people are visiting the centre are listed on the weekly patient timetables and also posted on the charity noticeboards around the centre. You will find the Peer Support Workers in the Communal Areas within the centre such as the Dining Area (where the vending machines are) or the Garden Room. They all wear tops with their charity logo on, so that you can recognise them. Please feel free to make contact at a time that is helpful for yourself.

The Peer Support Workers visiting the centre also contribute to Patient Education Sessions and Relatives' Days, so you will have a session on your timetable when you will be able to hear them speak about the various charities and the support they are able to provide.

In addition to providing peer support, different charities also provide input into other parts of the service. Our therapy team will link you in with these as appropriate. For example -

Back Up come in to run regular Wheelchair Skills days for our inpatients.
Aspire provide a member of staff who is able to support patients with technology, such as setting up mobile phones or tablets so that voice controls can be used.