Interview: Winner of the NR Times Award for Inspirational Contribution, Martin Gascoigne

NR Times speaks to Martin Gascoigne, founder and CEO of Neuro Case Management, who won the NR Times Inspirational Contribution Award 2024, sponsored by TRU Rehab. Here he tells us about  his work supporting individuals with a wide range of conditions on their journey to recovery and improved quality of life.

Established in May 2010, Neuro Case Management has grown to 100 staff members across the UK, offering an holistic approach to case management, supporting not only clients but also families and carers.

Despite personal challenges, including losing his eyesight, Gascoigne’s personal experiences inform Neuro Case Management’s work, focusing on client independence and community reintegration.

“Years ago, the process was quite mechanical. The industry would receive a referral from a solicitor, conduct an initial needs assessment, and implement the necessary care elements, whether that was physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, or similar,” says Gascoigne.

“Over time, however, we’ve learned the importance of supporting not just the client but also their carers. Organisations like Caring for Carers have highlighted that those caring for clients need support too.

“As a company, we’ve moved beyond simply receiving a referral and stepping in to provide direct client care. Now, we take a two-pronged approach.

“When we receive a referral, we assess the client’s needs and look at how best to meet them. At the same time, we assess the needs of their family, carers, or informal supporters and provide the help they require. The goal is to ensure that the combined efforts of our team and the client’s family and friends deliver comprehensive and sustained support.

“It’s an incredibly demanding role, often with little respite for carers. Over the years, we’ve worked with a wide range of clients, from predominantly young males in the past to now a more balanced mix of males and females.

“Many of these clients face life-altering injuries that strip away their ability to walk, talk, or engage in everyday life. Our work often starts from scratch, helping clients rebuild their lives, regain their independence, and re-establish their role within their families and communities.

“Much of this work happens behind the scenes, often unnoticed and not billed. But we’ve learned that true rehabilitation requires equipping not just the client but their entire support network with the skills and resources needed for long-term success. It’s not enough to provide temporary support and walk away; sustainable rehabilitation requires a holistic, family-cantred approach.

“Few companies are doing this, but we’ve found it’s the only way to create meaningful, lasting change.”

Key to positive outcomes for clients, says Gascoigne, is a workforce that is well-looked after in order to provide effective services.

“This industry is often seen as transient, with carers frequently coming and going,” said Gascoigne.

“However, we’ve focused on retaining staff by investing in them. For example, we offer four weeks of holiday to start, with an extra day added each year up to five years. By then, staff have five weeks of annual leave, plus six occasional days – over six weeks in total. We also pay above minimum wage, and over time, we’ve seen that these efforts encourage people to stay.

“Quality of life and feeling valued as an employee are key. We believe that well-rested staff with a good work-life balance are more productive and better able to contribute. It’s a principle we’ve promoted for years because we want consistency for our clients and better relationships between staff and clients.”

This year, Neuro Case Management will be working to ensure that clients will still be able to get the level of support that they need to work and be independent in the community, long after its services have ended.

“It’s not enough to simply address the core issue and leave it at that,” says Gascoigne.

“To create meaningful and long-term support, you have to look at the entire picture – the problem itself and all the surrounding elements that contribute to it. By addressing these interconnected factors, you can provide more comprehensive help, making the process easier and the support more long-term.

“It’s about taking a holistic approach rather than focusing solely on the centre of the issue.”

On winning the award for Inspiration Contribution, Gascoigne says: “The award was very much a surprise. I’m pleased in a lot of ways that what I’m doing seems to be the correct approach.

“Other people seem to agree with that, and the fact that what I’m doing, and certainly what my company is doing, is different to other people within the sector. To be recognised is a very nice thing, and it means that I’m do something correctly.”

Gascoigne says the company is now becoming CQC regulated, aiming to further solidify its position in the industry.

“We’ve just become a regulated organisation, and we’re almost through the CQC process as well,” Gascoigne says.

“I’ll still continue doing what I’m doing, which is to go and meet the clients. We’re out there now, and we’re doing what we do, and hope we’re making a difference. That’s all I want to do, is to try and make a difference with people who have gone through a lot of adversity and hardship.

“If I can help them get back on their feet, and if I can help them to regain some of the independence back then, in my world, I’ve done a good job.”