Specialisms
- Brain injury (acquired and traumatic).
- Complex cognitive impairment and challenging behaviours.
- Adult cerebral palsy.
- Long-term neurological conditions such as stroke and motor neurone disease.
- Secondary mental health.
- Associated orthopaedic injuries including amputation.
- Associated spinal and spinal cord injury.
- Associated visual impairment / loss.
Clinical Currency Statement
As at April 2024, I am engaged in the role of Case Manager for NeuroHealth Case Management for an average of 70 hours per month. I also work as a Consultant Occupational Therapist for an average of 25 hours per month.
Signed
Specific Injuries Experience
As a Case Manager, Nicola manages the ongoing care needs of adults with acquired or traumatic brain injury, long-term neurological conditions such as stroke and motor neurone disease, adult cerebral palsy and polytrauma. Her extensive skills and knowledge in this area provide Nicola with a great understanding of the impact that brain injury can have on all aspects of an individual’s activities of daily living. She is particularly adept at supporting those with complex cognitive impairments and challenging behaviours. Many of the individuals Nicola works with have associated secondary issues such as spinal (not including fractures) or spinal cord injury, mental health and visual impairment. A number of them also have orthopaedic injuries including amputations.
Nicola has significant experience when it comes to setting up long-term packages of care. This includes recommending, costing and introducing therapy and support teams, equipment, housing adaptations / identifying alternative accommodation and assisting with sourcing and adapting vehicles. Nicola is able to consider the bigger picture and, where possible, work with the client and their family to plan for a return to work, access to the community and holidays.
Providing case management to adults with complex needs who are a mix of both pre and post-settlement cases gives Nicola a good understanding of the litigation process.
Employment Profile
Nicola currently works with NeuroHealth as a specialist Brain Injury Case Manager. Taking a holistic, goal centred approach, she works closely with the client and their family. Nicola will carry out a full and comprehensive functional assessment of the client – considering how they were pre-injury, how they are presenting now, and making appropriate recommendations to restore the client’s function by maximising their independence and quality of life so far as is possible.
Nicola has significant experience when it comes to setting up long-term packages of care. This includes recommending, costing and introducing therapy and support teams, equipment, housing adaptations, identifying alternative accommodation and assisting with sourcing and adapting vehicles. Nicola is able to consider the bigger picture and, where possible, work with the client and their family to plan for a return to work, access to the community and holidays.
She is responsible for co-ordinating and managing the provision of care and therapy teams for her clients. With experience in both directly employed and agency care, she has a sound understanding of both approaches which
helps when it comes to clinical reasoning and making decisions with the client around which route would best suit their care requirements. She routinely works with multi-disciplinary teams to ensure needs are met.
During her early career, Nicola worked at one of the leading specialist brain injury rehabilitation units in the South East of England, where she was supporting clients who had sustained an acquired or traumatic brain injury. She then joined the NHS as a Senior Occupational Therapist managing a large caseload of complex patients on a stroke, general medicine and cardiology unit. This role saw Nicola assessing and planning for safe discharge to meet the patient’s needs.
In 2012, Nicola relocated to the United Arab Emirates where she played an integral part in the commissioning of the first specialist neurological rehabilitation unit in the middle east. This involved working closely with the UAE government to write and implement standard policies for the provision of client rehabilitation. Alongside this, and whilst managing therapy services at the unit, Nicola continued her clinical practice by working in an advisory case manager role assessing and signposting clients through their rehabilitation journey.
She returned to the UK in 2021 and continued to specialise in complex brain injury – managing therapy services across 5 specialist brain injury units across the South of London. Since moving into case management, Nicola has continued to provide ad-hoc clinical advice to the service.
As a member of the Health and Care Professions Council, Royal College of Occupational Therapy and the British Association of Brain Injury and Complex Case Management, Nicola is committed to continual learning and development.
Qualifications and Membership
- BSc (Hons) in Occupational Therapy, Canterbury Christ Church University (2009).
- MSc in International Healthcare Leadership & Management, Sheffield University (2018).
- Royal College of Occupational Therapy (RCOT).
- British Association of Brain Injury Case Managers (BABICM).
- Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Career History
Present
Care Expert Witness
Jacqueline Webb & Co Limited
2022 to Present
Case Manager
NeuroHealth Case Management
2021 to 2022
Therapy Services Manager
High View Care Services Ltd, Kent
2012 to 2021
Lead Occupational Therapist & Therapy Manager
Amana Healthcare, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
2011 to 2012
Senior Specialist Occupational Therapist
NHS South London Cardiac & Stroke Network
2009 to 2011
Rotational Occupational Therapist
Raphael Medical Centre (Neurorehabilitation), Kent