Choosing the right partner to help your business navigate injury management and return to work services is crucial to ensure the smoothest process possible for you and your employees.
And there are a number of key factors to take into account to help you make the best choice.
The points below should help you understand more about what you need to weigh up, and how to decide which provider is right for your needs.
Advantages of being on-site
Ideally, your provider can meet with you and your workers at your workplace, to get a better understanding of your demands, operational needs, and any other challenges.
With a more comprehensive grasp of your specific needs, you’ll get more thorough and appropriate recommendations and advice.
There are also advantages if your provider can attend medical reviews in person, as they can help facilitate better and more timely communications with everyone involved, to improve the outcomes for your business and your workers.
In most areas of NSW Interact have a consultant who is relatively local and has the ability to get to your workplace in person.
Workplace familiarity means better results
As mentioned above, when a provider visits your workplace they can complete a thorough assessment of the work tasks, the essential demands (physical, psychological, psychosocial, environmental etc.), and all your relevant operational needs.
Which means they can then make far superior recommendations when it comes to guiding a return to work.
Plus, over time, if they continue to be present in your workplace, they’ll get to understand your business and be better placed to support workers back into your work environment – improving your trust, and your worker’s trust, in them and their expert guidance.
The benefits of open and consistent communication
In any successful working relationship, frequent, candid communication is critical.
For the best outcomes, you need a rehabilitation provider that will be thorough, strategic, inquisitive, and honest in their assessment and recommendations – which only comes from consistent and open communication.
If barriers or challenges emerge, you need them to be transparent and offer well-considered solutions.
And if they can’t offer a solution, or are not the best person to do so, they’ll be transparent about this while offering an alternative source.
Better outcomes through the right language and focus
All evidence shows us that a timely return to work (and recovery at work) results in better health outcomes for injured workers.
So your provider’s language and focus should always align with this way of thinking, and promote recovery at work as soon as medically appropriate.
And, this approach should extend to everyone involved, not just the worker with an injury.
It should be the key message in all communications with the treating doctor, specialist/s, and allied health providers (psychologist, exercise physiologist, physiotherapist).
So no matter what type of injury, all stakeholders are on the ‘same page’ – knowing that a recovery at work is a pivotal part of the recovery process and is the established expectation.
These are just some of the main factors worth considering when it comes to choosing an injury management and return to work service.
If you’d like further information, or experienced advice, please contact us.
