What does a brain injury case manager do?
After a brain injury, the support a person needs rarely comes from a single source. There will be therapists, medical professionals, care workers, insurers and, in many cases, a legal team. Each has their own role. Very few of them are speaking to each other in any coordinated way.
That is what a case manager is for.
BABICM, the British Association of Brain Injury and Complex Case Management, defines case management as a collaborative process that assesses, plans, implements, coordinates, monitors and evaluates the services required to meet an individual’s health, wellbeing, social care, educational and occupational needs. In plain terms: the case manager works out what is needed, puts the right support in place, and makes sure it is working.
The starting point: assessment
Most case management relationships begin with an Immediate Needs Assessment, though a case manager may be brought in at any stage. The first task is to understand the person in front of them. That means reviewing existing clinical records, meeting the individual and their family, and building a clear picture of where things stand physically, cognitively, practically and emotionally.
From that, the case manager produces a written report setting out recommendations. This is not a one-off document filed and forgotten. It is the working foundation for everything that follows.
Building and managing a team
Brain injury affects different people in different ways. One person may need intensive physiotherapy and a structured cognitive rehabilitation programme. Another may need a psychologist, a speech and language therapist, a package of care support, and help returning to employment. A case manager works out which professionals are needed, identifies who is available, and commissions the appropriate services.
Once a team is in place, the case manager coordinates it. That means ensuring everyone is working towards the same goals, that progress is tracked, that appointments are happening, and that the plan adapts when circumstances change. The case manager is not one of the treating professionals. They sit across the whole picture.
What case managers actually do day to day
The job is harder to describe than it sounds, because it rarely looks the same from one week to the next.
On a given day, a case manager might visit a client at home to review their progress, attend a professionals’ meeting, phone a therapist to discuss a change in the client’s condition, write a case management report for the solicitor, identify and contact a specialist provider, or speak with a family member about something that is worrying them.
They keep detailed clinical records of all of it. BABICM’s standards require case managers to maintain accurate, chronological records and to work in a way that is client-centred, evidence-based and cost-effective.
The duty of care is always to the client, regardless of who is funding the service. A solicitor or insurer may commission the work, but the case manager’s professional obligation runs to the person they are supporting.
The legal dimension
Many of our clients are involved in personal injury or clinical negligence litigation. Case management and litigation run in parallel, but they are separate. The case manager’s job is rehabilitation, not the claim.
There is a great deal of practical overlap, though. Case managers attend case conferences, liaise with experts, write reports that form part of the evidence in a case, and help solicitors understand what their client needs and why. A case manager who knows their client well is a valuable source of clinical detail for the legal team.
How we work at Hawkley Rehab
At Hawkley Rehab, all cases are managed jointly by Ken and Louise Hawkley. Both are qualified Occupational Therapists and members of BABICM. Both are fully across every case from the outset.
This matters in practice. It is rare for a client, family member or solicitor to be unable to reach someone who is completely up to date with their case. There is no dependency on a single person being available. If one of us is in a client meeting, at a case conference, or otherwise tied up, the other can pick up the phone and answer questions without needing to be briefed first.
It also means that when both Ken and Louise attend a meeting, only one person’s time is charged. You are not billed twice because two case managers were present. The clinical value of a second perspective comes at no extra cost.
What to expect from a BABICM-registered case manager
To remain registered, members must demonstrate continued fitness to practise, complete ongoing professional development, and adhere to BABICM’s Code of Ethics. This gives solicitors and families a clear benchmark: BABICM registration means the case manager has been assessed against a nationally recognised standard.
Hawkley Rehab holds BABICM membership and works in accordance with its standards of practice.
If you would like to discuss a referral, please get in touch.