The sheer number of road traffic incidents leading to major trauma in this country is shocking, with a reported 133,442 casualties of all severities resulting in 1,633 fatalities in 2023 alone. Unfortunately, this means that the response of such incidents is commonplace for our emergency services who are first responders day in and day out. This is our opportunity to honour the incredible work that they do when responding to these incidents.

JSP specialise in Case Management of catastrophic and complex injuries, working with several individuals that have been impacted by road traffic incidents. We wanted to share the story of one of our clients, Paul *, and how a road collision has changed his life, highlighting what has now been put in place to support him post injury.

Paul was injured in a collision with a vehicle whilst riding his motorbike at just 18 years old. Following the incident, he was left with orthopaedic injuries including leg, spinal and rib fractures. He was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). After being introduced to a Case Manager from JSP, he progressed well with his therapies, but unfortunately in January 2024 suffered a serious setback. He had an infection within the bone of his fractured leg. Since this time, he has had further complex surgeries and has an external fixator frame in place for several months to come.

The Case Manager assessed Paul’s needs in the early stages of his recovery, and now a year on, continues to support Paul with many aspects of his life, including coordination of the following:

• Psychological intervention to support with his PTSD symptoms. He has had a period of Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy and is now better equipped to manage his symptoms. His Case Manager is now looking to refer him privately since he needs some ongoing treatment, and his NHS provider cannot continue to meet his needs.
• Referral to a private Physiotherapist for dedicated rehabilitation and support to oversee treatment programmes.
• Signposting to charities to support with trauma rehabilitation and avenues of peer support. The charities involved include Day One Trauma.
• Referral to a specialist Occupational Therapist for rehabilitation and equipment needs.
• Visiting him on the ward to liaise with Occupational Therapists and coordinate discharge needs.
• Support to acquire a suitable stairlift to facilitate access to first and ground floor of his family home- prior to this he was largely confined to his bedroom for long periods of the day.
• Liaison with the Red Cross in order to facilitate wheelchair hire.
• Coordinating communication between therapies to ensure teamwork and collaboration towards his goals.
• Liaison with his employers regarding his recovery and ensuring they are kept up to date.
• Support to attend consultant appointments and liaise regarding his specialist treatment.
• Advocating for his transport needs with the NHS since he has multiple appointments
• Advocating for his medical needs including support to care for his pin sites at home.
• Liaison regarding his housing and accommodation needs

In the coming months, Case Management will be supporting him as a priority with his accommodation needs and a transition to independent living.

Paul said, “having a Case Manager has helped me in a vast amount of ways, having someone to support you and put many things in place to support you alongside when struggling, has changed my life in the most profound ways. Aside all her amazing professional aspects – it’s also been wonderful having someone there on the other side of the phone at my aid. I’m very grateful for my Case Manager and she has played such a huge importance in my recovery. Thank you”.

*The client’s name has been changed for their privacy