A case manager may be instructed as part of the claims process after a brain injury.
The appointed case manager works very closely with health and social care professionals, medico-legal experts, and the legal team. Their role as an independent expert is to ensure the rehabilitation, care and social needs of the client and the family are addressed to maximise quality of life and recovery.
What does a good case manager look like?
The case manager should be innovative, dynamic and have a holistic mindset. They collaborate with clinicians and services to ensure support is proactively sought and facilitate referrals to evidence-based technologies and treatments where appropriate helping overcome any challenges along the journey to continue to optimally progress recovery.
Working holistically means the case manager considers all aspects of a clientās life. This means they work very closely with clients and their families and often build a strong therapeutic relationship. Case managers support, advocate, and help guide clients through the rehabilitation and litigation process which can take a long time.
Case managers should have the relevant experience and expertise to help manage a clientās recovery and legal representatives can help guide this decision.
What do Case managerās do in practise?
Examples of where case managers support can include:
- Coordinating with statutory services, charities, and private therapy to ensure thatās a clientās health and social care needs are met and there is funding provision in place if required. Where appropriate this can extend to the family.
- Where appropriate to set up and monitor a package of care for the client which may be through a care agency, private employment or may be provided or supported by the family.
- Seek and source appropriate residential placements if applicable for rehabilitation or respite care.
- To constantly ensure and re-evaluate provisions to enable a clients rehabilitation potential and quality of life is maximised. This may mean the identification of other independent professionals/clinicians to supplement and enhance statutory provisions. Delays in statutory provision may necessitate the need for private provision such as psychological provision or assistive equipment or technology.
- Liaising with equipment and technological providers to ensure clients have up to date equipment to promote their independence, comfort, and safety.
- Children with brain injury need educational needs addressing and this may require an Educational Health care plan (EHCP) or Education other than at school plan (EOTAS)
- Research work and implementation of recreation, leisure and play activities to promote a clientās, rehabilitation and maximise their quality of life. This could include Hydrotherapy, hippotherapy, volunteer or vocational work, outdoor pursuits, and accessing any appropriate charity and support groups.
- Assessing the clientās property to ensure it is fit for purpose to enable independence and therapy and care needs. If adaptations are required this could require collaborating or instructing occupational therapists, buildersā architects.
- Promoting independence and accessibility to the community to promote inclusion which could include assessment and provision wheelchairs, recreational wheelchairs, and adapted vehicles. This may also include researching and planning holidays.
- The case manager should always be proactively planning and coordinating with legal representatives/ deputies to ensure costs are secured to allow recommendations to implemented with minimum delay.
Delays in Case management provision?
Unless a client has private means to fund Case management the appointment of a case manager can sometimes be delayed until liability has been established or funds have been secured.
Some legal firms have Support and rehabilitation teams such as Irwin Mitchell that can be accessed in the early stages of a claim. These teams are often comprised of clinicians and can help advise, signpost and guide clients and their families until a case manager can be appointed.
5* Trust pilot reviews – Client feedback on Irwin Mitchellās Support and Rehabilitation Coordinators
āOur coordinator is so knowledgeable and provides some of the best help and advice we have received since starting on this journey with our son. It can be so overwhelming and difficult to know where to start but she has made this process so much easier for us.ā
āI canāt express how invaluable her consistent support has been throughout a traumatic experience involving a family member who was critically injured. Her expertise and advice, her hands-on support in daunting hospital & nursing care environments and her clear, calm & capable manner have been an absolute life-saver.ā
How can Brain Injury Group help?
If you would like advice about bringing a brain injury claim, capacity, deputyships, managing the award of compensation or any other aspect of brain injury welfare, legal or financial advice, we have specialist brain injury solicitors and Court of Protection solicitors who can assist.
Contact Brain Injury Group – to get in touch you can either:
- Call us on 0800 612 9660 or 0330 311 2541
- Email us at enquiries@braininjurygroup.co.uk
- Complete this short enquiry form and we’ll get back to you
- Find a specialist brain injury solicitor near to you
About the author
Adam Shelverton a Physiotherapist by background, leads the Support and Rehabilitation team at Irwin Mitchell.
Irwin Mitchell are a national law firm whose solicitors work hard to make things easier for their clients and their family. Over the past 2 years they have helped clients recover more than Ā£1 billion in compensation, but this is only part of the story, their solicitors also help clients access the rehabilitation, medical care and support needed to achieve the best recovery possible.
