Norman
Cottington
Norman Cottington has led the rehabilitation initiative in personal injury claims from its inception through to the current day.
In 1989 he formed and chaired the Lloyds Claims Managers Rehabilitation Working Party. The first such working party designed to aid the early recovery of injured claimants.
In 1994 he developed the concept of early intervention, assessment of needs and uniquely proposed that such intervention be conducted outside of the litigation arena. This innovative idea was introduced to solicitors and insurers at a conference at The Park Lane Hotel in 1995. So well was it received that a working party was immediately established and the result was the DAU (Disability Assessment Unit) sponsored by the charity Rehab UK.
In 1997 the DAU Working Party became BICMA (Bodily Injury Claims Management Association) and under Norman’s chairmanship introduced the Early Assessment Agreement at a major conference held at The Liberal Club.
Norman and other members of BICMA were immediately invited to join the IUA/ABI Rehabilitation Working Party to assist in preparing the rehabilitation section of the second UK Bodily Injury Award Study. They took with them The Early Assessment Agreement, which was included within the study and presented as The Rehabilitation Code of Best Practice.
In the meantime, Norman had established contact with CMSI (Case Management Society International), identified the benefits of case management as practised abroad and purchased on behalf of BICMA the rights to establish CMSUK. Norman invited all of the then known providers in the market to an inaugural meeting with a view to establishing the society in this country.
CMSUK is now well established as a society of and managed by Case Managers and has just been accepted for charitable status. It provides quality standards of practice for its members.
Under Norman’s chairmanship BICMA has produced The Practitioners Guide to Rehabilitation, which is published alongside The Rehabilitation Code, chaired three major rehabilitation conferences promoting the subject, arranged road shows for solicitors and insurers explaining the benefits of rehabilitation and the workings of The Code and presented at MASS training days on the subject.
Currently, BICMA is at the request of AIRMIC and the CBI preparing guidelines for employers on return to work strategies and Norman will be presenting this at the AIRMIC conference in June.
As President of BICMA he has recently presented at the annual conference of The Association of District Judges on the subject of rehabilitation and will be presenting at The Rehabilitation First conference.
In 1999, after twenty-five years as an insurance company Claims Manager, Norman joined TICCS (The Injury Care Clinics) and has now established it as a leading provider of assessment, treatment, case management and rehabilitation services. He additionally remains as President of BICMA, a member of the IUA/ABI Rehabilitation Working Party and as a founding Director and honorary member of The Case Management Society UK.
No one can have done more to promote rehabilitation!
