Community Case Manager – a day in the life

The next edition of our day in the life series comes from one of our community case managers:

As a Community Case Manager I have a variety of responsibilities; supporting clients and the team of nurses looking after each of them, working closely with colleagues to coordinate visits and managing the administration for the care packages. The administration tasks include risk assessments, client reviews, and a host of other documentation including adherence to policies and procedures. I am responsible for building a good relationship with each client in order to manage the social and welfare aspects of their care.

I was attracted to the role because of the variety and the opportunity for me to broaden my horizons; I could draw on skills I hadn’t used before in my career as well as my nursing background. I chose to work with Thornbury Community Services (TCS) as it’s recognised for being the best community care service provider.

So what happens in a typical day? I leave home around 6.30am and my first meeting is at 9.30. My diary is booked in collaboration with my colleague who is a regional clinical lead so we’re able to conduct the client monthly reviews together and avoid intruding in their lives too much. When we meet with the client we discuss recent life events affecting them and their family and complete our respective review forms. Some families enjoy the opportunity to talk and share information with us while others prefer to be more private, we take their preferences into consideration throughout our appointments.

Our second appointment is back down the M4 and it takes us an hour to drive there. We have to factor traffic and travel time into our schedule so we arrive at appointments on time. Each visit can vary in length as we may have to re-evaluate the documentation in the client file and remove nursing notes and other documentation for auditing.

Once this visit has finished my colleague and I jump onto a team conference call. This is an opportunity for us to share information from the family with the team and discuss any actions that need to be implemented. We work in close collaboration with the operational teams to support each client and manage any changes to the care package.

We both take five minutes to make a few phone calls and check some emails before heading off to our third and last appointment for today. We drive for an hour and a half through the Welsh Valleys; which at this time of the year is lovely.

There are of course challenging times where expectations need to be supported and managed. Sometimes things to do not happen in a way that clients or their families had anticipated and it is our responsibility to manage that with empathy and support. Listening to any issues and being available to both the client, their families and the care team is a really important part of the role.

When I get home I type up my notes and send them out to the team. I reflect on the day’s activities and feel thankful that I have such a supportive team as it makes my job easier. Spending time with each client, their families and the care teams is a very valuable experience and helps us ensure we are delivering the best possible care.