Joanne Foster is Director of North Star Case Management and leads a team of specialist clinical case managers in providing a bespoke service to individuals with complex injuries and health conditions.
Joanne is an occupational therapist by background with over thirty years’ experience of assisting individuals with their rehabilitation. As a Clinical Case Manager, she has worked in the medico-legal sector for the past 20 years and specialises in working with adults who have significant and complex disability, particularly those with an acquired brain injury who require a high level of care and support.
Since 2012 Joanne has held senior operational management roles within leading case management firms with responsibility for providing a high-quality service to clients, which continues in her role at North Star. Joanne is also actively involved on a daily basis in training and guiding case managers to facilitate best practice, and to ensure clients receive a proactive service which helps them achieve their rehabilitation and personal goals.
Joanne was awarded Advanced Membership of BABICM in October 2010 and has been part of the Training & Education Group since 2016.
A registered general and mental health nurse by background Sally has worked in the case management sector for 11 years. Sally also developed the client liaison role within a leading law practice and worked for over 20 years in the NHS in various rehabilitation settings.
Sally is Clinical Director at JS Parker Limited which is the largest case management organisation in the North of England. She has overall responsibility for the clinical direction of the company which incorporates both the case management, expert witness and therapy services.
Her areas of responsibility include maintaining clinical practice and policy, quality and compliance, staffing and developments within clinical practice. She holds a small case management caseload and an ever-growing expert witness caseload both consist of adults with brain injuries and complex needs as a result of trauma.
Sally has been a member of BABICM for many years achieving Advanced Membership in 2011. She strives to adhere to and advocate for the principles, guidelines and competencies within practice at JS Parker and across the case management sector.
She joined TEG in 2014, and enjoys working with colleagues from across the sector to develop exciting and progressive training events.
Dawn is director and co-owner of AKA and the Registered Manager for the organisation. Her knowledge and skills in financial management are complemented by the clinical and case management experience of co-owner and director Andrew Rose.
Dawn first joined AKA in 2008 as Accounts Manager on a freelance basis before being employed as Finance Manager in September 2015.
Earlier in her career she worked mostly within the construction industry, rising to become a Finance Director. Dawn holds a number of accounting qualifications including the AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians ) and ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) along with a BTEC in National Business Studies.
Before taking up her current role with AKA in early 2021, Dawn built up robust knowledge in all aspects of AKA’s work and joined the senior management team to help implement company strategy.
Steven Brown is a partner in the medical negligence department at JMW and has specialised in the field since qualifying as a solicitor in 2008, which is when he also joined JMW.
He is ranked in the 2019 edition of the Legal 500 as a Next Generation Lawyer and is described as a ‘highly committed and proactive claimant lawyer’.
He helps patients affected by many different types of medical negligence to challenge the mistakes that were made and secure compensation.
His caseload is now primarily made up of spinal injury and adult and child brain injury claims. In April 2019 he obtained £1 million in compensation for a patient left severely debilitated by negligent treatment of spinal injury cauda equina syndrome. He has previously settled a cauda equina case for £1.5 million and a delay in diagnosis of stroke case for £1 million. He is currently working to settle numerous multi-million-pound cerebral palsy claims for children whose birth was mismanaged.
A former committee member of the Manchester Young Solicitors group, Steven has spent time working in a pro bono legal advice centre in Manchester advising members of the community on a range of issues.
Having worked in this industry for many years, in 2017 I took a brave leap of faith and established Positive OT & Case Management with the desire to focus fully on holistic and practical strategies to enable my clients to reach their chosen goals. In those days, it was just me and administration support; we’ve grown so much since then!
My previous roles working for other case management companies, the council and NHS have helped me gather a wealth of clinical experience and knowledge of working with adults and children with complex needs following potential catastrophic and life-changing injuries.
As well as being the Director of the company, I continue in my role as case manager and occupational therapist to provide hands-on support. I am passionate about making sure therapy is incorporated into everyday life. I will be a strong advocator on your behalf and keep you at the heart of everything I do throughout the case management process.
Tracey is a Registered General Nurse and has extensive experience in the management of clients who have sustained neurological injuries, having worked in neurological rehabilitation and management for over 10 years in the NHS before becoming a Case Manager in 2007.
Tracey is now a Neurological Case Manager and one of the founding Partners of COOCI Associates LLP who specialise in case management services for highly complex cases, working with both adults and children, helping clients and families whose lives have been significantly changed through personal injury or clinical negligence. This is achieved this by co-ordinating timely rehabilitation opportunities that facilitate life and living for people who have experienced a change in their health and social status.
Tracey has been a member of BABICM for many years and joined the Training Events Group in 2018 to enable her to contribute to the training and development of case managers across the sector.
Ged is a serious injury solicitor at Fletchers Solicitors, who has dedicated his career to fighting for victims of catastrophic injury, and recognises the difficulties and challenges faced from the outset. Alongside working as a solicitor, he volunteers for the spinal injury charity Back-Up, and actively engages with fundraising for the brain injury charity Headway.
Tom is a qualified speech & language therapist with 16 years’ experience of working with adult clients who have an acquired brain injury. He worked in the NHS for almost 11 years in acute and community rehabilitation settings in the West Essex area.
Tom left the NHS and started working as a brain injury case manager in May 2015 whilst also setting up his own independent SLT service, providing communication and swallowing assessments and rehabilitation to clients following acquired brain injury. This included working with clients with TBI at a local neuro-rehabilitation centre in Hertfordshire.
Tom joined Ben Holden Ltd in June 2019 working with a variety of clients with brain and spinal injuries across East Anglia and the South East.
Tom has extensive experience working with this dynamic client group, establishing and coordinating highly complex rehabilitation programmes. Tom has also worked alongside statutory services and has established working relationships with primary healthcare, community mental health services and charity services such as Headway.
Tom has recently commenced the full time employed role of Clinical Services Manager within the company where the focus will be on improving and maintaining clinical quality across the company. He will also continue to work with a small clinical case management and SLT caseload within the company.
Jackie Waggott is a Case Manager and Director of Operations at Social Return Case Management with a clinical background as a specialist physiotherapist. Jackie has over twenty years of experience of working with clients with neurological difficulties in the community.
Her previous roles have also included complex case co-ordination as a clinician, and leading multidisciplinary teams. Jackie’s specialist interest lies particularly in brain injury rehabilitation, however Jackie relishes a challenge and welcomes working with clients who have a diverse range of complex conditions.
Jackie has been a Registered Practitioner member of BABICM since 2018 and joined the Training events group in 2019.
Jenny Webster is a case manager and mentor for Westcountry Case Management and has extensive experience of working with clients with complex conditions including acquired brain injury and spinal injury arising from medical negligence and personal injury.
Additionally, Jenny has 18 years experience as an occupational therapist in the community, with an interest in neurological conditions, oncology, palliative care and general rehabilitation.
Jenny achieved Advanced Membership of BABICM in June 2016 and joined the Training Events Group in 2019.
Louise qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 1996, before gaining hospital-based experience in various clinical fields and going on to specialise in Acquired Brain Injury in 1998. She has clinical expertise and significant experience in Cognitive Rehabilitation and, for eight years Louise was the Clinical Coordinator of an Interdisciplinary Specialist Rehabilitation Team within the NHS whilst also carrying a caseload of patients whose needs were highly complex and challenging. Using a Case Management Approach to pull together and co-ordinate all appropriate services, she ensured the best possible outcome for her patients. Since 2010 Louise has worked in the private sector as a Clinical Case Manager, holding a caseload of clients whose needs cover the whole spectrum of impairment including highly complex medical and psychosocial presentations. In 2004 she qualified as a Registered Intermediary and is accredited by the Ministry of Justice to work with vulnerable witnesses in this role as part of the Witness Intermediary Scheme. Her expertise and skills are also sought within the criminal justice system to facilitate communication with vulnerable defendants. In January 2016 she became the first Intermediary to facilitate communication with a vulnerable claimant during a civil trial. Louise has trained new Intermediaries and also assists to train the Police on working with vulnerable witnesses. Furthermore, she has spoken at numerous conferences on the topic of Intermediaries and other special measures for vulnerable people within the Courts. Louise is very proud to be a Trustee and Professional Advisor to Headway Preston and Chorley. Furthermore, she holds professional registration with the Health Professions Council and the British Association of Occupational Therapists, and is a member of The British Association of Brain Injury Case Managers
Louise achieved Advanced Membership of BABICM in March 2023 and joined the Training Events Group in 2024
Alison is a registered mental health nurse and developed a love for brain injury rehabilitation when she began working as a staff nurse at the Kemsley Unit, St Andrews Hospital, in 1995. She became a case manager in early 2000 and has thoroughly enjoyed having a full and varied caseload ever since.
Over the years, Alison has worked with clients with wide ranging needs, but has a particular passion for supporting people who have dual TBI/mental health diagnoses. Never averse to a challenge, managing risk and risky behaviours is something she has never shied away from, firmly believing that we should open up as many opportunities for people as possible. In recent years, she has begun undertaking expert witness work, adding another, slightly different challenge to her working week.
Alison is a former member of TEG and is delighted to have the opportunity to join the group again. She is the Director of Alison Wright Associates Ltd and has always been keen to support others to develop their understanding and skills in case management.
Alison re joined the Training Events Group in 2024.