Registration, registration, registration

Niccola Irwin, MD of Keystone Case Management, on the much-needed changes the case management sector can expect to see this year

It is now over a decade since the British Association of Brain Injuries and Complex Case Management (BABICM), the Case Management Society UK (CSMUK), and later the Vocational Rehabilitation Association (VRA) first began to collaborate on the development of a professional body for case managers.

As it stands the case management profession remains largely unregulated. Most case managers do have a background in the health and social care profession, but the industry has for at least two decades felt that this alone is not automatically enough to undertake case management at the highest level.

To become an Occupational Therapist, for example, I was required to complete a degree in occupational therapy and gain practical experience for the delivery of occupational therapy through supervised placements. As case management is not currently taught in any qualifying programmes, however, there is currently no equivalent qualification in case management for those crossing into the field.

This means that literally anyone could establish themselves as a case manager with no qualifications, no professional accreditation, and no experience in the role. Given that we frequently work with some of the most vulnerable members of society, this situation is something the industry has long been seeking to address.

An early success was the Joint Code of Ethics, which was amended in 2017 to reflect the inclusion of the VRA in discussions. This year, it looks like the long-sought-after official register of case managers may finally come to pass, thanks to the creation in January of the Institute for Registered Case Managers (IRCM).

In 2021, an extensive consultation was held on an initial draft standards of practice, and the IRCM hopes to have a

final version and register in place later this year. The eventual accreditation process will be overseen by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA), an independent body which is accountable to the UK parliament, and already oversees the professional registers of the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professions Council. In 2021 I began chairing the Standards Committee of the IRCM. I can safely say that there is a lot of change to come in the industry, not just with the launch of the register, but in the years immediately afterwards as the accreditation process matures. Initially, we envisage a period during which membership of the IRCM will be open to members of the founding organisations who have at least two years FTE as a registered Niccola Irwin health professional and have at least two years FTE experience as a case manager or have a minimum of four years FTE experience as a case manager. Moving forwards, and once the certificate of proficiency is available, it is planned that all applicants will need to have achieved the certificate, have a minimum of two years FTE as a case manager, and provide a self-audit that evidences working in line with the IRCM Code of Ethics and Conduct and meeting the IRCM Technical and Business Standards. As well as my work with the IRCM, I serve as MD of Keystone Case Management, and have over 20 years of experience in the case In 2021 I began chairing the management field. This is a Standards Committee of the IRCM. project that Keystone has worked very hard to support. I can safely say that there is a lot of We intend to be prepared at the change to come in the industry, not earliest opportunity to support just with the launch of the register, our existing case managers to meet, and indeed exceed, the but in the years immediately requirements of the IRCM. afterwards as the accreditation Ultimately, our job is to protect the service user, who can surely process matures. . only benefit from an end to the current situation of unregulated case management and the arrival of a degree of protection and regulation. Web: www.keystonecasemanagement.co.uk