Merry Christmas from The Rehabilitation Specialists!
2015 has seen continued growth for the Rehabilitation Specialists and we have now grown to a team 21 staff (including administrative staff), an amazing journey from starting with a team of three Consultants back in 2012. Over the last few months our Sydney team has expanded and led to further services being offered. We are now able to offer Medico Legal assessment and reporting services and are delighted to be a Member of the Australian Lawyer Alliance. We work for both the plaintiff and the defendant and are pleased to be supporting the claims process through independent assessments… click here to find out more
Our Rehab Online Servicehas been launched in the last quarter and we have now received our first referrals from the Northern Territory. A Rehabilitation Consultant from our team will travel to the Northern Territory for one week per month and will remotely manage referrals between visits. The aim is to provide a value for money service which is delivered to the same standard as our face to face services. We will use Skype, face time and phone communication to address communication barriers and are able to provide phones to employees where this is required.Our outcomes continue to be excellent, especially given the number of highly complex referrals we receive. The data regarding our outcomes can be accessed on our website www.rehabilitationspecialists.com.auand is updated quarterly. Our outcomes are greater than 94% RTW for both same employer and new employer cases across all jurisdictions over the last three years, and 100% at the 13 week durability mark for those that RTW.
Finally I would like to say thank you to our customers who support us and work alongside us; our good outcomes are a combined effort. We look forward to 2016 being another year of working collaboratively with you all.
I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Xmas and a Happy 2016. Please drive safely if on the roads and enjoy the break with your families. Our last day of operation for the year will be 23 December 2015 and we will reopen on 4 January 2016.
Return to health, return to work!
Fiona Fonti
CGU’S Bike Build – The Smith Family
The Rehabilitation Specialists participated in CGU’s Bike Build event on Thursday 3 December 2015! The event was held to build bikes for The Smith Family, a children’s charity helping disadvantaged Australian children to get the most out of their education, so they can create better futures for themselves. 22 bikes were built in the ACT, with 160 bikes being built nationally. It was a fun afternoon and we were pleased to have been part of something that will make a difference to 160 families this Christmas.
In the spotlight
Sharon is a nationally and internationally experienced Occupational Therapist, having worked in Australia, Hong Kong, Canada and the United Kingdom. She has practiced in the areas of rehabilitation, clinical and community services, working in government, non-government and non-profit organizations, private practice, project development and management roles. Sharon’s interests in education have led to teaching positions at university, community settings and Registered Training Organisation level, and the design and delivery of education programs for workers, undergraduate and post-graduate students, and community adult-learners.
Sharon has worked in a large range of adult rehabilitation and workplace rehabilitation settings, supporting individuals with complex physical and mental health challenges to return to healthy lifestyle and work routines. Combing with her experiences in education and health service program design, Sharon’s work in pain management, neurology, orthopaedics, mental health, youth work, family therapy and mediation has formed a strong foundation for her roles in injury management, rehabilitation consultancy and medico-legal work.
With interests in the changing Australian workforce and strategies to promote holistic workplace wellness, Sharon is optimistic about building health, return-to-work, rehabilitation and education services in collaboration with stakeholders that are creative, targeted and responsive to health issues and market needs.
Over the past month our team have participated in refresher training regarding latest evidence for workstation assessment and optimal work practices. We have also met with a number of equipment suppliers to review new equipment offerings and we look forward to being able to recommended the best possible options for employers and injured workers. This training has reinforced much of our existing knowledge and also highlighted some new areas of research in this area to ensure our services continue to align with best practice.
We will be kicking off 2016 with new, improved, and streamlined workstation assessment offering which will include:
A focus on education, self-management, and recommendations in line with latest evidence
A number of options for customers with regard to reporting and assessment delivery i.e. individual or group
A value added follow up service to reinforce learning from the interventions provided
Success of the Ageing well at work Seminar
The response to the Ageing Well At Work Seminar conducted on 26 November 2016 by Caroline Howe, Executive Director from Think Howe was extremely positive. Participants included representatives from Human Resource and Workplace Rehabilitation areas from both the government and non-government areas. The take home messages from the seminar were not what many may have anticipated and made for interesting discussion. Carolyn encouraged participants to look more holistically at their well-being programs; focusing on educating employees to gain a better understanding of how exercise; diet and lifestyle can impact on the ageing process. Keeping employees well by ensuring that duties are appropriate and that a robust internal support structure is in place rather than focusing on the age of the employee was also discussed. Think Howe are workforce solutions professionals with a strong background in Occupational Rehabilitation. Think Howe aims to assist organisations to think differently and to help businesses grow. Some of the services provided by Think Howe include:
training, e-learning & coaching formats designed around industry best practice
management consulting for executives looking to sharpen organisational performance
specialist rehabilitation consultation services and coaching for case managers
design and implementation of service delivery innovations and process improvements
health, fitness and wellness programs for your teams large and small
Our Medico-legal team expands
Due to the growth of the Sydney team, and building on our international experience in Asia, we have expanded our medico-legal services and are now able to offer assessment and reporting services in both the Canberra and Sydney region as well as nationally and internationally. Our high calibre team is able to assist in determining the impact of injury, illness or accident. Cases that benefit from Rehabilitation medico-legal assessment relate to individuals who have experienced some kind physical, psychological or functional loss due to motor accident, professional negligence, public liability and work-related injury, illness or disease. We are able to act for both plaintiffs and defendants and provide an objective assessment that builds a case and assists the Court and decision makers to come to appropriate findings and determine damages and compensation. Our reports provide information in regard to many factors including functional abilities, and the need for current and future treatment, therapy, equipment, environmental modifications, transport and personal care needs.
Our team have experience in joint conferencing and reporting, giving evidence in court and have been appointed as single experts. Refer to our website for information about the many types of assessments we are able to offer. Referrals can be forwarded via online referral or by enquiry to [email protected]
