What is Case Management?

Case Management is a service provided to individuals who have sustained a life-changing injury, such as a brain injury, spinal cord injury or an injury requiring amputation.

It is a service provided in collaboration with medical, therapeutic, vocational, domestic and care services, that supports the injured individual by utilising a highly skilled and clinically trained professional called a Case Manager, who is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). In the majority of circumstances, the Case Manager will be also be working in conjunction with legal and insurance providers who may be involved due to a personal injury or clinical negligence claim, or with a Financial Deputy who will help manage the injured individuals’ finances.

What is a Case Manager?

Case Managers are regulated professionals such as therapists, nurses or social workers, and they will have previously worked in either hospitals, rehabilitation units or community services from which they will have gained their experience and expertise. A Case Manager will tailor the service they provide to the needs of the injured individual, ensuring the individual and their close family and friends are supported to facilitate optimal health, wellbeing and quality of life.

The tailored support provided by the Case Manager will in most instances begin with a detailed and comprehensive Immediate Needs Assessment (INA) of the injured individual, in which recommendations for the next three to six months will be made for, but not limited to, any medical, therapeutic, educational, vocational, domestic, equipment, housing or care. Following the INA, the Case Manager will consult with the individual to create a tailored plan which will set important goals for the individual, the progress of these goals will be continually monitored and evaluated to ensure that goals are achieved or modified as necessary over time.

What can I expect from a Case Manager?

A Case Manager’s duty of care is to the injured individual (client) regardless of who commissions the service; therefore, a Case Manager will always act in the best interests of the client. A Case Manager will assess, plan, implement, coordinate, monitor, and evaluate the options and services required to meet the injured individual’s health and wellbeing, education and/or occupational needs, using communication methods and available resources to promote quality, cost effective and safe outcomes. If the injured individual has a legal claim for damages due to personal injury or clinical negligence case, the Case Manager will also be working alongside the injured individual’s solicitor and the solicitor or insurance company for the person who is alleged to be at fault for causing the injury.

To ensure your Case Manager maintains professional industry standards and practice competencies, NeuroHealth Case Managers are required to be registered with the British Association of Brain Injury & Complex Case Management (BABICM).

As per BABICM standards a Case Manager is expected to:

Accept appropriate referrals in line with industry best practice guidance.
Keep the referrer updated regarding their work with the client.
Work in a client-centred way at all times.
Develop a therapeutic working relationship with the client and family.
Maintain accurate chronological clinical records of all work undertaken with the client.
Use current best practice and research to guide case management intervention.
Work continually to achieve optimum clinical outcomes for the client in as cost-effective a way as possible.
Identify and commission the most appropriate services to meet the client’s identified clinical needs.
Adhere to industry Code of Ethics.

What can I expect from the case management process?

In most instances, the case management process will begin with the Case Manager carrying out an Immediate Needs Assessment (INA). The purpose of the INA is to assess the immediate needs for, and the degree of, any intervention, rehabilitation or treatment with respect to injuries sustained by the injured individual as a result of the event that caused their injuries. An INA typically lasts between 2-3 hours, although the length of time can vary depending on circumstances. After carrying out the INA the Case Manager will then write a comprehensive INA report, which will include all of the information from the INA as well as any other relevant information that will help create a detailed account of the injured individual and their immediate needs.

The INA report will feature detailed sections including, but not limited to, medical and therapy intervention to date, past medical history, current symptoms and function, social situation, physical condition, aspects relating to communication, psychological and emotional issues, activities of daily living, education/vocation and caring for others. Based on the information gathered during the INA and documented in the INA report, the INA report will also contain a number of recommendations based on the immediate needs of the injured individual.

These recommendations can include, but are not limited to, medical scans/tests to better understand an injury, referrals to specialists such as Neuropsychologist or Occupational Therapist to assess and then provide a treatment plan for the injured individual, hiring a Support Worker to assist the injured individual in their recovery or provide longer term support and assistance, locating a new rental property with easier accessibility for the injured individual and purchasing equipment to assist with daily activities on behalf of the injured individual. Once the INA report has been completed it will then be issued to the referring parties and the injured individual, where appropriate.

Goal Setting Meeting

Further to recommendations from the INA being approved and funds made available to commission them, the Case Manager will then meet with the injured individual to carry out a goal setting meeting. A goal setting meeting is where the injured individual collaborates with the Case Manager to identify specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed (SMART) goals at the beginning of input, so that the goals can be built into the injured individuals rehabilitation or care/support plan. Goals should focus on the injured individuals’ motivations and priorities and should not just be tasks/actions. The Case Manager will use their clinical expertise as well as other clinical tools and resources to define with the individual what goals should be set.

Assembling a Multi-Disciplinary Team, ongoing case management and Progress Reports

Once case management has begun the Case Manager will aim to assemble a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) of health and social care professionals, such as doctors, therapists and advisors. Each team member will be a specialist in their field and will have been specifically chosen by the Case Manager based on the recommendations made in the INA report and the agreed goals set with the client. As the assembled MDT commence their input with the injured individual, the Case Manager will be the central point of contact, ensuring all input is delivered in a collaborative and cohesive way for optimal progress.

The Case Manager will be in regular contact with the injured individual throughout and will advocate for their needs in any area of their life where support is required due to their injuries. Every 8-12 weeks the case manager will prepare a report detailing the progress that the injured individual has made in relation to the goals they have set. Progress reports are provided to referring parties and the injured client, where appropriate, so that all stakeholders can be kept informed of the progress the injured individual is making in their rehabilitation or care/support.