Minister for Disabled People Tom Pursglove MP meets Manchester arena bomb survivor Martin Hibbert at Milton Keynes based charity, Spinal Injuries Association.

The Minister for Disabled People Health and Work, Tom Pursglove MP visited the headquarters of the Spinal Injuries Association in Milton Keynes on Monday to meet their Vice President Martin Hibbert, one of the closest survivors of the Manchester Arena bomb attack.

The charity which was established in 1974 has been based in its current headquarters in Oldbrook since 2005 and welcomed the Minister thanks to TV presenter Dan Walker.  Dan who came to know Martin following his inspirational climb of Mt Kilimanjaro in 2021 which raised almost a million pounds for the Spinal Injuries Association, told the Minister live on his Channel 5 news programme that if he wanted to make life better for disabled people he needed to meet Martin Hibbert.  Martin who survived the Manchester Arena bomb attack was left paralysed due to a spinal cord injury and now campaigns on behalf of other spinal cord injured people. He is passionate about the work of the Spinal Injuries Association to which he credits with transforming his life post injury.

Martin Hibbert said:

“I hear lots of stories every week from disabled people struggling with some of the fundamentals of living and that’s completely unacceptable in 2023.  How can it be right that someone is unable to leave their own home due to a lack of available carers or struggles to even access the correct wheelchair, let alone the barriers they face when they are in the outside world.”

During his three hour visit the Minster was lead through the journey of support that the charity provides to a spinal cord injured person. The Minister firstly met clinicians and support co-ordinators to demonstrate that simple coordinated support from the outset leads to improved outcomes. He also heard from spinal cord injured people that had struggled to receive the care and mental health support they required and why the charity is campaigning for change.

Tom Pursglove MP said:

“It’s been inspirational to be here today at the Spinal Injuries Association with Martin, who is such a brilliant champion of this organisation. I was determined to see the care that SIA provides and what more we can do to scale that work nationally. We are currently working on a Disability Action Plan and today was a great opportunity to understand more about what the charity can do to help the Government achieve its objectives, so that people with a spinal cord injury go on to live rewarding and fulfilling lives.”

Nik Hartley OBE, CEO of Spinal Injuries Association added:

“By meeting those we support, the Minister saw the importance of addressing the complex needs associated with spinal cord injury right from the moment of diagnosis, through treatment, rehab and for life. Spinal Injuries Association has a proven model that addresses these complex needs – linking health and care to an array of support services from the outset.  This is not just the right thing to do, but saves the public money, frees up NHS beds, and enables more spinal cord injured people to live fulfilled and productive lives.  Furthermore, our model could be replicated for other disabled people with life-long conditions.”