Debra is an experienced nurse and case manager in the insurance and rehabilitation sector. With over 15 years’ experience in clinical case management and vocational case management, Debra works proactively for her clients to establish cost-effective rehabilitation solutions and to empower her clients to develop their full potential and enrich their lives.
Registered General Nurse
Intensive care Trained (ENB 100)
Debra began her nursing career in 1989 where she completed her General Nurse training at Greenwich District Hospital in London. She worked as a staff nurse in Neurosciences and Neurosurgical High Dependency. Debra then specialised in Intensive Care and Cardiothoracic nursing providing total care to critically ill patients including organ transplant and multiple complex trauma, requiring respiratory support, haemodialysis, and palliative care. She completed her Intensive Care Nursing Course in 1997 at Mayday University Hospital in Croydon.
In 1999, Debra worked as a Care Co-ordinator for a Nursing Agency, becoming an Accredited Domiciliary Care Manager with Lancashire County Council and was responsible for the recruitment and selection of nursing and auxiliary staff supplied to hospitals, care homes and private care packages. Her role involved liaison with social services and social workers to assess, plan and implement bespoke care plans, conduct risk assessments and effectively communicate with multidisciplinary teams to ensure the most appropriate support was provided.
Debra then moved to AIG Medical and Rehabilitation in Manchester and became instrumental in the initial set up of the Manchester Branch. Debra’s role as a Branch manager involved the guidance and co-ordination of cost-effective return-to-work and rehabilitation programmes. She managed a varied client base with conditions such as complex trauma, musculoskeletal, orthopaedic and PTSD cases. She effectively liaised with appropriate medical practitioners, solicitors, insurers and employers. Her main priority was to provide a cost-effective rehabilitation solution to employers’ liability claims and offer specialist and relevant medical and vocational case management. In addition to this she would work with the claims teams to Identify potential large ‘Loss of Earnings’ notifications/claims and provide prompt and effective expert medical assistance and where necessary vocational support.
With HCML in 2004, Debra worked in both client relationship roles and as a pro-active case manager. Her focus again was to provide individual rehabilitation case management services to assist injured clients to recover and return to optimum function and/or to assist them to return to productive and sustainable employment. Her duties included conducting Initial Needs Assessments, identifying current medical and vocational status, present function, current and on-going treatment and or future care or rehabilitation requirements. She would be required to liaise with medical practitioners to obtain medical guidance and to co-ordinate treatment and successful rehabilitation programmes.
With Northern Case Management in 2006, Debra was employed as a Case Manager to provide support to clients with Acquired Brain Injury living in the community, by empowering them to develop their full potential and enrich their lives through a client focused service. This involved networking services and resources on behalf of the clients and their families in their own homes to improve their overall quality of life, such as therapies, equipment, housing and care teams. She liaised with claimant solicitors and insurers to ensure the client’s needs were met and funding made available. Debra was able to assess, facilitate, implement and advocate the needs of clients on an individual basis to the relevant parties. She would also ensure the correct recruitment of appropriately trained care staff/support workers for each individual client and maintain a comprehensive training and support network. She would provide regular supervision sessions and appraisals for all members of the individual care teams to ensure the safety of the client was paramount.
In 2007, Debra moved to Remploy to support an in house Occupational/Vocational based service to identify rehabilitation needs of employees following accident or ill health via telephone assessment/consultation. This involved the compilation of initial needs rehabilitation reports, with recommendations of further rehabilitation services and estimated costs. Providing bespoke case management in order to co-ordinate treatment for those with health conditions/disabilities and rehabilitation needs.
Conditions varied from minor injuries to condition management and supporting clients with significant learning disabilities and mental health issues. She worked with employers and treating practitioners to advise on the DDA, reasonable adjustments or redeployment options to assist in a sustainable return to pre-absence occupation and provided graduated return to work plans, in line with medical restrictions, skills and attributes. Her primary focus on resolving barriers in order to return the employee in a safe and functional manner to sustainable employment.
In 2013 Debra joined TBL where she continued her role as a Clinical Case Manager. She enjoys working with clients with complex physical injuries. She has an interest in profound and complex disabilities which require professional skills to co-ordinate the appropriate services required to support the individual and the family. She is able to respond to the psychological, educational, physical and emotional needs of an individual and provide appropriate solutions/support for both rehabilitation and or maintenance plans. She is sensitive to the family’s needs when introducing a care package of support and is able to react in a pro-active, sensitive manner to the issues that may arise.
Debra is self-motivated to support her clients to reach their maximum potential, be that optimum health or return to work.
