Andrew Swanson

Qualifications

MASCIP, RGN

Specialisms

• Spinal Cord Injury Specialist
• Case Management

Introduction

I qualified as a Registered General Nurse in 1990 and after some years in general nursing I moved into the field of Spinal Injuries, where I have been working since 1993, initially on the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southern General Hospital, Glasgow. In 1998 I moved to the London Spinal Injuries Unit at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, where I was appointed as a Case Manager in the Community Liaison Department.

Subsequently, I moved into the private sector, firstly working for Active Assistance as a Nurse Manager and in 2003 I became Nurse Manager and Director of Spinal Homecare, Kendal. I achieved the Registered Managers Award in 2007. The company is a nation-wide specialist provider of care and assistance at home to clients who have sustained a spinal cord injury, and other similar injuries or disabilities. In this role I assess potential new clients and recruit and train new Personal Assistants for these clients. I also case manage the packages of care that are set up around the clients. I have been involved in the running and development of the business including maintaining CSCI / CQC / Scottish Care Commission registration. As a company we obtained ISO9001 as part of our commitment to maintaining quality, and we are a member of the UKHCA (United Kingdom Homecare Association). As a UK top provider of specialist care and assistance our motto “your life your way” is the basis of how the company operates. We provide high quality assistance, to enable our clients to live independent and flexible lives.

I have also been involved in the creation (at committee level) of the Case Management Society UK, which is an organisation that offers support to case managers throughout the UK, as well as ensuring the members work to current best practice.

I have contributed to a review of the service provision of treatment of patients with spinal cord injury in the south of England, involving the mapping out of service provision for the next 10 years across the whole of the south of England. I continue to be involved with staff development and training and I am working with some health care assistants as their NVQ assessor.

I joined Somek & Associates in 2003, and have been providing Nursing Care and Case Management reports in cases of clinical negligence and personal injury since then, having been instructed by both Claimant and Defendant. I have undergone training in the medico-legal process and am fully aware of my responsibilities under the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) pertaining to Expert Witnesses.

Professional Affiliations
Royal College of Nurses
Case Management Society UK
Multidisciplinary Association of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals

Professional Education
1990 Registered General Nurse, South College of Nursing, Glasgow