Westcountry Case Management

Michael Chevalier

Dip COT M.Phil

Career History

Michael graduated from St Loye's School of Occupational Therapy in 1989.

Initially he specialised in palliative care and has conducted research in oncology and haematology at undergraduate and postgraduate level.  His MPhil degree in Medical Sciences involved research on haematology patients undergoing treatment in protective isolation.

Since that time he has worked with a wide spectrum of conditions and disability in specialist in-patient and community settings both in physical and mental health.

From 2001-2011 he worked with Exeter Hospice as a key Manual Handling Trainer.

Current Work

Michael currently works in private practice as a case manager. He has worked as a case manager for Westcountry Case Management for the past four years and also provided case management for Rehab Logic prior to this.

His case management role includes undertaking assessment, identifying difficulties in everyday functioning, planning appropriate strategies and treatment to manage symptoms and working with clients to regain function and occupational roles.

His case management clients have included a wide range of ages, from young adults with acquired brain injury and physical disability to elderly clients with dementia.

Since 2001 he has worked with Exeter Hospice as a key Manual Handling advisor, training their volunteers. However he will shortly be relinquishing this work but will continue in a mentoring capacity for the manual handling trainers at the hospice.

Since 1997 he has also prepared over 500 expert witness reports costing rehabilitation and care needs following personal injury.

Key Skills

• Wide experience in disability and expertise in assessing psychological and physical impact of trauma on function and quality of life.
• Comprehensive assessment and needs identification skills to assist both client, carer and referrer.
• Ability to empower others to identify, plan and achieve their own goals.
• Current experience of recruiting and managing support workers and care teams.
• Sound liaison and training skills to support other workers, clients and carers, working closely as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Effective communicator with empathy and humour, lectured successfully to large and small groups.
• Quality report writing, consistently acknowledged by peer appraisal.
• Thorough knowledge of the medico-legal process.

Professional Affiliations

• Member of British Association of Occupational Therapists (BAOT) .
• Member of Association of Occupational Therapists in Palliative Care / HIV (HOPE)