News
Person-centred care - what does it mean?
In the fields of brain injury rehabilitation, caring for adults with complex needs and caring for adults with learning disabilities, a ‘one size fits all’ approach would consistently fail.
In all walks of life we are all individuals with different personalities, characteristics and preferences.
When an acquired brain injury or learning disability is added to the mix, then catering for individual needs is more important than ever. But what does that mean in practice?
At Richardson Care we really try to get to know the person and understand their needs. We have a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) of therapists who are all involved with each individual’s care to a greater or lesser extent.
This MDT comprises a consultant neuropsychiatrist, clinical psychologist, assistant psychologists, neuro-physiotherapist, speech & language therapist and occupational therapist.
The multi-disciplinary team meets regularly to review and discuss the care package that is put together for each individual.
We aim to deliver the most effective care while reducing the administrative burden by providing an inclusive care package. This means that funding is agreed at the outset and we don’t have to put in extra requests for additional ad hoc support.
The managers and care staff implement the care plan on a daily basis and each service user also has a dedicated key worker.
They get to know them very well and provide valuable continuity in their care.
Thinking outside the box Person-centred care can also mean thinking outside the box to deliver the right type of therapy and activities to encourage confidence building, for example, or physical dexterity.
These activities may include arts and crafts, music, drama, sport, computer games, board games, cooking, shopping or gardening.
At Richardson Care we are also willing to offer different activities such as work placements and to take service users on holiday – something that they may not have done since sustaining a brain injury.
Clinical psychology provision
We have found that ongoing clinical psychology provision delivered by a dedicated team is crucial for the well-being and progress of service users.
It helps to maintain their mental health and any problems can be addressed early, helping to prevent the need for crisis care.
In addition, providing bespoke psychological support enables the person to better engage in other therapies. This is facilitated by the close collaboration of the MDT.
We have also found that reducing drug therapy and focussing on psychosocial approaches can result in better outcomes for service users in the longer term.
For more information call 01604 792166 or visit richardsoncares.co.uk.
IRCM in a ‘brilliant place’ as it looks to the future
The body created to help shape the future of case management is in a “brilliant place” to move into the future, after three years of work ‘behind the scenes’ to take it forward.
The Institute of Registered Case Managers (IRCM) was formed in 2020 to bring new levels of professionalism and accountability to case management, and with it a series of stringent technical and professional standards.
During the past three years, the IRCM has made significant progress towards its goal of accreditation by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA), to which it hopes to submit its application in the near future.
It is also close to opening registration for case managers.
Now, as its current chair Angela Kerr prepares to step down after completing her agreed three-year term, she said the groundwork to date has placed IRCM - created jointly by the British Association of Brain Injury and Complex Case Management (BABICM), the Case Management Society of the UK (CMSUK) and the Vocational Rehabilitation Association (VRA) - ideally for going forward and to support the further development of case management as a profession.
“IRCM has grown and is more established now. People are talking about it and we’ve got a big supporter community,” says Angela, who was chair of BABICM prior to taking up the role with IRCM.
“It's in a brilliant place now. We’ve been getting all our ducks in a row and everything's coming together for opening registration and our PSA application.
“The main thing for us back in 2020 was to ensure that IRCM was accepted and would be valuable to the case management industry, which I would say essentially, we’ve proven over the past three years.
"It has been great to see so many organisations and individuals stepping forward to get involved.”
IRCM has been recruiting for a new chair to take over after Angela steps down in June, as well as panel members to support the work of the body.
Recruitment is set to open for positions including directors and members of the board’s committees and groups later in the year – these will include both registrant and lay roles. Angela believes adding panel members is important aspect of the ongoing development of IRCM as they play a critical role in the organisation’s processes.
“We have been developing the structure to sustain the work of IRCM going forward and recruiting panel members is another essential step,” says Angela.
“In the event that any concerns are raised about registrants practice, we’ll be following our policies to review these.
"Our panels will play an important role in considering these and also be involved in other areas such as appeals, reviewing the issues and making appropriate recommendations.
"It is vitally important to have a bank of panel members in place before we start registration, so that if we need to call on that resource, we can do.
“It’s essential we have systems in place, and trained people to support those systems.”
For more information, visit www.ircm.org.uk.
Charity goes back to basics to promote stroke prevention
A charity committed to changing the outlook for brain haemorrhage research and prevention is taking its approach back to basics to reinforce key health messages and help more people avoid stroke.
The Natalie Kate Moss Trust (NKMT) was founded following the death of Natalie aged only 26 after brain haemorrhage, and since that time the charity has dedicated itself to funding groundbreaking research into future treatment.
Working with the University of Manchester - of which Natalie was a graduate - NKMT’s funds are pioneering world-leading work into new therapies, including a project involving zebrafish and repurposing existing medication, which could deliver significant improvements in the survival rate after haemorrhagic stroke.
Now, while continuing to fundraise for a more positive future, NKMT is concentrating on the present and helping people to better understand some of the main causes of brain haemorrhage to help reinforce key messages around prevention.
Through content developed alongside academics and health professionals, and events to help promote health and wellbeing, NKMT will support people young and old to improve their own health and minimise the risk factors for stroke.
“We have always been focused on prevention and treatment, and now we really want to put more focus on prevention and reach a broader audience, to make a difference to people’s lives now,” says Fiona Moss, Natalie’s sister and director of NKMT.
“On average, in a population a third of people will have high blood pressure and 50 per cent of them won't know they have high blood pressure.
"There's a huge number of people that are walking around, not just with the risk of brain haemorrhage, but with the risk of many other conditions as well.
“We are going to help people understand how brain haemorrhage can be prevented through addressing lifestyle factors.
"One of the leading causes of preventable, lifestyle-related brain haemorrhages is hypotension - and that is something that people can help to change themselves.
“We want the messaging to be very simple, so it’s relatable but empowering. It’s not rocket science. We want people to look at the preventable factors - lifestyle, high blood pressure, nutrition, sleep, stress, alcohol consumption - and realise that these are contributors to health conditions that can result in brain haemorrhage.
“For a lot of people, if it’s not directly related to them and their life, they’ll listen but then forget about it. But we really want people to engage and realise that this is something that applies to us all and is something that we ourselves can change.”
The refocus of the charity into health messaging is part of its new strategy, which wants to ramp up its efforts around prevention of the tragedy that impacted the Moss family in 2012.
“We don’t want to appear just as a charity - we want to appear as more of a B Corp, essentially a business that does good,” says Fiona.
“We don’t just want to be about looking for donations, prevention is very important in this, so we are refocusing to concentrate on that in ways we haven’t done so far.
“And then the conversation can feed into the knock on effect of that, so if they do donate, they are helping to fund the research into the prevention.”
To help with its fundraising, NKMT has launched a volunteering programme for ‘champions’ who can support its work in ways that are possible for them.
“We want to get more people on board, but if they don’t want to run a marathon or cycle the length of the country, then we would love them to run a comedy night or a pub quiz,” says Fiona.
“We’ve got some things in the pipeline over the summer, which will be about wellbeing but also will have a fundraising aspect, which is again bringing together the research - which the fundraising enables - and prevention.”
To find out more, please visit nataliekatemoss.co.uk.
Exercise videos support stroke survivors in physical activity
A charity which enables stroke survivors to rediscover the benefits of physical activity is looking to create a third series of dedicated exercise videos after the huge success of the first two.
A Stroke of Luck was created to support survivors with
their mental and physical recovery through a range of
exercise-based resources, direction and advice, em-
powering them to rebuild and move on with their lives.
The charity has created two series of 12-week exer-
cise programmes for stroke survivors, in partnership
with the Stroke Association, which are devised by
specialist neuro physiotherapists to reflect specific
rehab needs.
The videos are categorised as red, amber and green,
geared around the physical abilities of survivors, with
red being for those with limited movement through to
green for those who can exercise independently.
And the content has proved such a success - and has
extended beyond stroke survivors into people with a
range of neurological conditions - that a third series is
now planned, with A Stroke of Luck looking for funding
streams to make the project possible.
The ethos of A Stroke of Luck comes from its founder
Craig Pankhurst, a former elite international swimmer
who had a stroke in 2018 in his mid-30s, after falling
into a largely sedentary lifestyle through the demands
of his high-pressured corporate career.
“After my stroke, I realised the huge importance of
exercise, not only for physical and mental health, but
also for a positive mindset and outlook on life,” he
says.
“Being active again improves confidence, promotes
cognitive recovery and well as enabling your body to
recover, and increases social mobility.
“That is central to who we are at A Stroke of Luck and
what we offer. The videos are a very important part of
that.
"The response has been fantastic, there has been
a strong appetite for this content and not just from
stroke survivors, but from many people with MS and
other neurological conditions.
“The content is created by neuro physios, so it focus-
es on factors like fine motor skills and appropriate
exercises for the affected side, and is delivered in the
comfort and safety of a person’s own home.
“The response has been excellent and we would love
to do more, but need to secure the funding to enable
us to do this. The demand is certainly there and there
is an ongoing need.”
In addition to grant funding and fundraising, A Stroke
of Luck is also looking for support from businesses
through new corporate partnerships.
For more information, visit astrokeofluck.co.uk
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