After a life-changing injury, every professional involved in a person’s care and rehabilitation should focus on two things:
- A person-centred approach, which is underpinned by the needs, values and preferences of the individual
- A commitment to ongoing rehabilitation to achieve and maintain maximum quality of life.
At Breakthrough, our experience as case managers enables us to recognise that the focus on these principles is fundamental to achieving the best possible outcomes, and this underpins our approach to care.
Historically, rehabilitation and care have not always been approached in combination – but for the team here at Breakthrough, that’s just not good enough.
Life-changing injury demands thinking differently – and we do think differently. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution at Breakthrough. The need for continued, long-term rehabilitation regularly extends beyond the point of a case settling and we know from experience that this can be a time when support diminishes.
But rather than withdrawing, as many do at such point, that is why we started Breakthrough Care – so people who require ongoing care after a catastrophic injury receive the unique, tailored and complex support they need, for as long as they need it. We focus on rehabilitation and functional recovery not just once every few weeks, but every single day.
Traditional model
No-one can or would say that carers don’t do a fantastic job when it comes to ensuring people and their day-to-day activities are looked after. But standard care can be very limited, particularly for those with more complex needs – which is highly likely following a serious injury.
Most care companies are not set up to provide rehabilitation-focused support, leaving many individuals and their families with nowhere to go.
Our response is to break apart the traditional model of care provision. We provide additional training and invest in upskilling our carers to become personal rehabilitation assistants, so that functional rehabilitation doesn’t stop.
We constantly see the profound positive impact this daily rehabilitation has on the lives of individuals and their families.
Case management approach
Through our experience in case management – we also have Breakthrough Case Management – we can apply that approach to care provision. That is a very unusual, but very powerful and highly effective, combination of expertise in life-changing injury work.
An experienced case manager coordinates individual care and rehabilitation across a wide range of disciplines, and what this looks like depends entirely on the needs of the individual. They are there to support our clients for the long-term, to organise and determine fully personalised care and support, for a long as they need it.
While our care packages will vary due to their bespoke nature, the approach is always the same whether an individual has experienced a brain injury, spinal cord injury, or any other major trauma. There will be one single point of access to a network of highly experienced professionals, including neuro-physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, speech and language therapists and more.
The multidisciplinary team (MDT) work closely together to deliver the practical and psychological support needed to rebuild independence and quality of life.
This might be to improve someone’s ability to function after an injury or to help them maintain the progress they have already achieved – we work with individuals and their families to set goals that are achievable, appropriate and right for them.
Routes of access
People come to Breakthrough Care through a variety of routes. A lot of Breakthrough Case Management clients continue to come to us for their ongoing care and rehabilitation, building on the close relationships we have already developed.
We also work with several care commissioners, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) who approach us to provide complex care packages for the NHS. We also welcome individuals and families who come to us as private patients.
In every instance, and however people come to Breakthrough Care, we ensure their care is person-centred, rehabilitation-focused and more than a step above standard care provision.
Three steps for the best possible care following traumatic injury
- Experience makes the difference when it comes to care and rehabilitation. A care company should be able to evidence significant expertise in delivering complex care packages. They should also build and implement a package that is unique to the individual
- Any individual should feel comfortable to ask questions if they are unsure. A case manager, carer or therapist involved in care and rehabilitation has a duty to be open to questions or concerns
- Remember that a traumatic injury doesn’t just affect the individual. A care provider is there to support the whole family if they have any queries, or just for a chat – whatever support they need, they should feel they can access.
