Board

Carole has been part of the project that led to the formation of IRCM since its inception. She has been a key member of the management group taking on various roles throughout its development.

Carole’s professional background is nursing, critical care. She commenced her case management career in Canada working in travel, private health and government health care case management.

In the late 90s she set up a case management company in the UK dealing with personal injury and has worked in this arena ever since.

She was a founding member of CMSUK, past chair and continues to be on the board of CMSUK as a director. She obtained her Masters in Case Management in 2011

Since 2004 Carole has worked for both Claimant and Defendant law firms advising on rehabilitation and health. She was a director of DWF for 5 years working closely with all parties involved in rehabilitation and progression of claims. She chaired the Cat Committee on the revision of the 2015 Rehabilitation Code.

Currently she has her own company where she works with all parties, advising on case management, rehabilitation and navigating statutory provision for Claimants when necessary.

Chris initially became involved in the development of the IRCM back in 2011, as a VRA representative in the first meetings between BABICM, CMSUK, and VRA. She feels this has been an enormous learning experience for everyone tackling so many challenges and dilemmas; working together to define, clarify, and develop our mission to “Safeguard people who use case management services, by setting and upholding standards for registered Case Managers”. Over these years her remit has developed to focus more specifically on the professional and educational aspects involved in the development of the IRCM and she will, initially, be chairing the Professional Development Committee as well as being on the new IRCM Board.  

With a professional background in Physiotherapy, Chris has specialised for many years in community rehabilitation, chronic pain, complex rehabilitation cases, interdisciplinary working, clinical leadership, and promoting the work and health agenda in practice. In 2005 she progressed into an academic role at the University of Salford, initially concentrating on teaching and learning, with a remit for chronic pain management and vocational rehabilitation (VR) at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her research and enterprise activities centre around health, work, and wellbeing; coordination between all relevant players; and the promotion of an upstream VR approach, having healthy work conversations throughout healthcare practice.  

Chris is based in the northwest of England and now works just two days a week for the University of Salford. She is delighted to also be able to continue to volunteer in support of the IRCM and looks forward to seeing the vision through to fruition after such a long journey.

Deborah, the Chief Executive Officer of RTW Plus, has dedicated her career as a nurse and case manager to providing support and guidance to help individuals recover and regain functionality. In 1994, she was among the first to introduce case management to the UK insurance industry and has since played a significant role in developing innovative rehabilitation approaches in the UK.

In 2004, Deborah co-authored the UK’s first University-accredited Case Manager training program. She also provided case management training to NHS Community Matrons and continues to actively support case managers in delivering high-quality services. Deborah was the inaugural Chair of CMSUK and is a former Chair of the VRA.

At RTW Plus, she leads teams of case managers and has recently developed a digital pain management program. Her international experience includes nursing and developing case management services in Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Hong Kong, and the USA. These experiences have given her exceptional insight into the political, economic, social, and technological challenges in delivering case management and vocational rehabilitation both in the UK and globally.

As one of the first directors of IRCM, Deborah continues to be instrumental in advancing case management and vocational rehabilitation, ensuring these services reach as many people as possible.

Jackie qualified as an occupational therapist in 1978 and has worked most of her working life with people who have neurological or traumatic conditions.  She is currently working as Clinical Lead at N-Able Services Ltd (part of the Frenkel Topping Group) based on the Wirral in the North West 

Jackie has worked exclusively in private consultancy since 1985 and since 1992 predominantly with people suffering from traumatic and acquired brain injury.  From 1992 – 1997 she worked as a part-time consultant in the establishment and development of the Transitional Rehabilitation Unit (TRU Ltd) in the North West of England.  Whilst providing consultancy services as an occupational therapist to this organisation she became interested in the concept and model of case management and took her first case management clients in 1994.   

Since this time, she has expanded her role as a brain injury case manager and in her leadership role within N-Able Services has widened the client group to include a wider spectrum of individuals with complex needs, and of varying ages.   

Jackie has lectured nationally and has contributed to books and publications regarding the case manager role.  Jackie has been an active member of the British Association of Brain Injury and Complex Case Management since inception and has supported many of the working groups within the membership body, and acted as Chairperson between 2010-2013.  She is an Honorary Fellow of BABICM.   

Jackie has been passionate regarding recognition of standards and development of competencies for case management and has been part of the development of the IRCM since initial discussions about the entity that has become IRCM.  She is excited to serve as a Director and aspires towards the aims of IRCM as a legacy to provide public protection through excellence in case management services.   

Janine is an Occupational Therapist by background and a specialist in brain injury case management, having worked at a leading brain injury rehabilitation unit in 1990 and later joining Head First, one of the UK’s first established case management services, in 1997.

As Clinical Manager, her role is to ensure excellent clinical practice and to promote development for all staff, through training, supervision and governance structures, overseeing implementation of clinical policies, CQC compliance and creating working documents, communication systems and management structures.

Over the past 15 years she has also been responsible for co-creating and curating Head First’s highly renowned national conferences, which are designed to share the latest research and innovative practice and promote excellent evidence-based practice in the field of brain injury rehabilitation and case management.

Up until 2021 Janine was an original member of the joint working project that led to the formation of IRCM and is delighted to have returned as a director in 2024.

Professional standards have long been at the heart of Janine’s career, starting with developing standards for Occupational Therapy in New Zealand in 1995 through to developing case management standards as part of the joint working group, and latterly sitting on BABICM Council and the professional standards working group, which led to her being awarded a BABICM fellowship in 2023 for services to complex case management.

Dr Joanna Fletcher-Smith is an HCPC registered occupational therapist by background.  She is Case Management Service Lead at Harrison Associates and holds a caseload of catastrophically injured clients, predominantly those with brain injury and complex polytrauma.  She leads a team of health and social care professionals delivering case management services to children and adults nationwide.  In addition to this role, she is an Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham School of Health Sciences.

Following her early clinical career, Joanna spent a decade working at The University of Nottingham, starting as research therapist and progressing to Chief Investigator with promotion to Senior Research Fellow.  Joanna won awards for her research including the Society for Research in Rehabilitation’s ‘Verna Wright Prize’; Royal College of OTs ‘Research Capacity Award’ and ‘Early Career Researcher’; Health Education England’s ‘Gold Clinical Scholar’; and World Stroke Organisation’s ‘Young Stroke Professional’. Joanna was the lead author of a Cochrane systematic review and has published in several high-impact journals. She reviewed for editorial boards and contributed to the RCP’s National Clinical Guidelines for Stroke. She has presented nationally and internally and held roles including Research & Development Officer for RCOT’s Specialist Neurological Practice Section and Council member for the Society for Research in Rehabilitation.

During her case management career, Joanna was proud to win the CMSUK ‘Catastrophic Case Manager of the Year’ award in 2021. Since then, she has used her research knowledge and expertise to support both CMSUK and BABICM through involvement in their research groups.

Joanna is passionate about ensuring clients receive the highest quality of case management and the provision of optimum evidence-based health and social support services.  As such, she is dedicated to supporting IRCM’s mission to safeguard people who use case management services, by setting and upholding standards for registered case managers.

Formerly an Internal Auditor for Orange, Julie branched into the Health and Social care sector in 2008 by setting up her own domiciliary care agency. She moved into case management as Business Director in 2018 for Care and Case Management Services and Dual Business Director for JSP under Active Care Group in 2021, and for the last year, her full-time role has been Chief Operating Officer for Bridge Case Management.

With the collaboration of CMSUK, BABICM and VRA, she feels IRCM has already come a long way and tackled some challenging hurdles and she feels excited, and honoured, to be part of setting of standards for future case managers.

Karen is a Consultant Case Manager working within her own Company and heading up a team of Consultants who specialise within the field of catastrophic injury. She is a Registered General Nurse by profession with over 30 years’ experience of working within the field of neurosciences with clinical experience within acute, post –acute, community and vocational rehabilitation settings.

As a well- known and respected professional within the case management industry Karen has been responsible for the establishment and development of case management services within the statutory, voluntary and latterly private sectors. Having managed services for those within the multi-track and catastrophic arenas, Karen has a detailed understanding of the issues facing the industry

Karen is an Advanced Practitioner of BABICM and a past Council member and past Chair of CMSUK. This background and experience supports her role as one of the first Directors of the Institute of Registered Case Managers.

Lizanne is a dynamic and passionate case manager and occupational therapist with over thirty years of experience in both private and statutory services, working in the areas of brain injury, amputation, complex orthopaedics and spinal injury.

She has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the medico legal sector, both in clinical and operational posts and in 2019 Lizanne created Integrated Case Management. She continues to work as the Managing Director and supports the case managers in providing the highest quality of care and rehabilitation enabling their clients to achieve their maximum level of function and independence.

Lizanne is passionate about the continuing professional development of case managers, ensuring that they receive regular support and supervision and have the necessary skills to treat and meet the needs of their clients.

Away from work Lizanne can be found at the coast with her paddle board and enjoying the benefits of living in Dorset.

Maggie is a Co-Director of Community Case Management Services Ltd (CCMS), a specialist and leading provider of case management for the rehabilitation of severely injured adults and children throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, and Worldwide.  Maggie is also the Responsible Individual for Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW).

Maggie was on the steering committee that established the British Association of Brain Injury Case Managers (BABICM).  She is on the Council and is an advanced member of BABICM and she was a director on the board of CMS(UK) from 2002 to 2004.

As a recognised leading case manager, she has frequently been invited to speak at national and international events, including the European Symposium at the Vatican in 2004. In September 2008, she was an invited speaker on case management at the 'Fifth World Congress for Neuro-Rehabilitation’ in Rio de Janeiro and also addressed the PEOPIL Conference, which took place in Malta in June 2009. Maggie was invited to present at The International Brain Injury Association World Congress in New Orleans in March 2017, the largest international conference on the subject of brain injury, and in September 2017 was Honorary Chair atBIT’s 4th Annual World Congress of Orthopaedics in China. In February 2018 Maggie presented a paper at the 10th World Congress for Neuro-Rehabilitation in Mumbai. In 2023, she presented at the CCMS conference in Westminster, and in March 2024, she presented at the North American Brain Injury Association Conference in Las Vegas.

Driven by a passion to ensure that those with catastrophic and complex injuries are given the opportunity to live their lives to the full, in 2011, Maggie established the Oxford and Bristol Groups of The Silverlining Charity, providing social opportunities and challenges for clients with brain injury.

Recent events have included adults and children with complex catastrophic injuries skiing in La Plagne, taking a South African Safari and volunteering in a special needs orphanage, and surfing in Cornwall. The trips have demonstrated the huge rehabilitation benefits of holidays for individual and their family affected by catastrophic injury.

Maggie chose to become a director of IRCM because she is keen to support the new organisation, which will be registering the first case managers and look to maintain the standards that BABICM and CMSUK have developed over recent years.

Niccola has over 25 years’ experience in the management and delivery of case management, vocational rehabilitation and expert witness services for catastrophically injured clients.  Niccola has worked in Australia and the United Kingdom in both private and public healthcare and insurance sectors.  In addition to her occupational therapy qualification, Niccola holds a Masters degree in ‘Case Management for Health and Employment’ and a Masters in Business Administration.  She is a proud recipient of CMSUK’s Case Manager of the Year award and is passionate about increasing the recognition of case management as a wide-reaching discipline and its achievement of effective client outcomes. 

Niccola is currently the Clinical Director of North Star Case Management.  She has a small caseload and remains actively involved as a case manager and a care/occupational therapy expert witness with clients in and around the London area. She also supports and develops the case managers in her team, who come from a range of health and social care professional backgrounds, including occupational therapy, nursing, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and social work. 

Niccola served as a Director of CMSUK from 2017 to 2024.  She became involved in IRCM through this work and was the final chair of IRCM’s standards group leading these through to publication, in addition being part of the management group. Keen to provide continuity to IRCM’s development as it approaches registration, Niccola will become a Director as part IRCM’s new organisation structure and the first Chair of the Quality Assurance Committee. 

Paul is the Managing Director of a leading temporary staffing and complex care services business Ocean Healthcare   Here Paul creates the strategic plan for growth and delivery, maintaining the unique culture of the business with relationships at the heart of everything they do.  Paul passionately believes, as a healthcare professional himself, that amazing healthcare from the private sector can be delivered with a moral compass.  His job here is to make sure the company is a commercially, clinically and operationally successful business, with a focus on ensuring that things are done the right way.

Paul completed his Masters in Pharmacy at Portsmouth University in 2004 and then completed postgraduate training in the NHS before registering as a pharmacist in 2005. Paul has worked in community pharmacy covering a number of roles all over the country, all focused on pharmacy and expanding healthcare offerings.  In 2017 Paul become the Commercial Manager for Bestway, and took over the running of the company in 2018 becoming Head of Wholesale and joining the Executive board of the company. Paul also oversaw the integration of a specialised medical appliance distribution business.  He was responsible for seeing this start-up business become the 6th largest pharmaceutical wholesaler in the UK.