A day in the life of an Assistant Case Manager

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There is no such thing as a typical day for any member of the COOCI Associates Team. Every day is different and brings its own new set of challenges and joys as they ‘walk’ alongside their clients. This is very much the case for Stuart, one of COOCI Associates’ long-service Assistant Case Managers.

Stuart is fully aware of how much of the acquired knowledge from all aspects of his life is put into play with the varied demands he is faced with within his role. He prides himself on putting a human face to healthcare and finds a deep sense of satisfaction in meeting the diverse needs of his clients, their families and support network.

Despite living on the south coast of England, many of Stuart’s roles require travelling some distance – a current client lives in Bedford! It is vital to COOCI Associates that their clients and support networks know that they are fully supported. Often that requires staff being physically present for assessments and meetings or to manage certain problems that may arise.

Stuart states, “It is all about relationships, over and above the obvious things but the core of it is your relationship with your client.”

Stuart’s role as an Assistant Care Manager is to assist the Case Managers with individual clients and their cases. This is usually initiated after the Immediate Needs Assessments (INA) have been carried out and Stuart will assist the Case Manager in implementing the recommendations from the INA.

At this point, Stuarts will consider where the client is located and assist the Case Manager in identifying the appropriate professionals as per the criteria and treatment needs of the client, ensuring that each party is accountable and reporting back to COOCI Associates. This can involve working with Statutory Services, including the National Health Service, but developing the right support network can involve working with other agencies or even direct employment of support workers, in some cases.

The entire experience from injury onwards can be a ‘roller-coaster ride’ for a client and their family. Many clients choose to retain an aspect of the support provided by COOCI Associates after their case has settled.

A significant part of an Assistant Case Manager’s role is to be available for these individuals and meet them at the point they are at. It will involve managing each person’s expectations and ensuring clear and compassionate communication to people who may not be familiar with any aspect of the journey they are on. Without a doubt, these situations make up significant parts of Stuart’s interactions. He insists, however, that the satisfaction received from finding a solution and working it out, so everyone is calm and informed is well worth it.

Stuart openly admits that he is not the best at multitasking, so ensures that he works through the necessary processes in a systematic way. On any given day, the client’s expressed needs, as well as the care plan requirements, need to be assessed and progressed. This may involve any number of factors that fall to the Assistant Case Manager to put in place. He works from an extensive list, filtering the information he is provided from the Case Managers for each client. There can be a number of actions required for different clients on any one day, but Stuart ensures that tasks are prioritised in order of need and seen through to completion, before moving on to the next.

The plethora of tasks can include sourcing care staff and medical consultants, organising Motability assessments, adaptations to vehicles or housing wheelchairs, and other equipment, or assisting with purchasing equipment and payments.

Occasional meetings with the Case Managers will certainly be part of the day’s affairs, although Stuart is confident that the Case Managers know his capabilities and strengths and trust him to know when to seek advice from the relevant people.

Like everyone, Stuart is very aware that when under pressure the workload can feel overwhelming. However, he is quick to point out his complete belief that the rest of the COOCI Associates’ team and Case Managers are available and willing to always provide support and assist in finding solutions.

“Everyone within COOCI Associates has the same objective and goals in all that that they want to achieve and so there is a huge team element involved, support and a great mixture of different expertise that you can rely on.”