The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) has called for change to improve patients' experience of workers' compensation in New South Wales.
The NSW Government is reforming the Work Health and Safety Act to align workers' compensation, industrial relations, and workplace health and safety rules.
This includes a $344 million workplace mental health package which will fund psychological support services for people navigating the claims process and more than 50 new inspector positions, many specialising in psychosocial injury.
Across Australia, GPs and patients face a broad range of issues related to overly complex systems, delays, and poor coordination, which can sometimes be more challenging than the physical and psychological injuries themselves.
RACGP NSW&ACT Chair Dr Rebekah Hoffman called for reform to simplify the system for patients.
"Too often, the workers' compensation system can itself contribute to increased psychosocial distress due to delays and dispute," she said.
"Patients struggling to navigate complex or frustrating claims processes may experience anxiety, stress, and hopelessness.
"This often results in patients needing longer consults with their GP as they become frustrated or disheartened by their experiences with the system. That's down to the psychological cost of dealing with the compensation process itself.
"Like other longer consults for complex conditions and mental health care, these simply don't receive the Medicare funding to give patients access to bulk billing or affordable care. This is why the RACGP also continues to call on an increased investment to increase long consults by 40% and mental health by 25%.
"A clearer, more navigable system will benefit patients, GPs, and workplaces. The proposed changes in NSW should make navigating our workers compensation system easier for patients and their GPs."
RACGP-endorsed clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and management of work-related mental health conditions in general practice reflect that an earlier return to work can lead to an earlier recovery.
Dr Hoffman said this includes patients with severe symptoms but less than 30 points of impairment.
"Where a patient has a serious psychological illness that prevents them from working, it may be appropriate for them to stop working and focus on recovery," she said.
"But even where symptoms have a significant impact on a patient, early employer-supported return to work can be something that helps them feel more capable, independent, and empowered.
"Returning to can be vital for a patient's recovery and ongoing good health. The longer someone is off work, the less chance they have of ever returning, and too often waiting for 'recovery' actually delays a patient's recovery.
"Good work in a safe environment empowers a patient, and often a return to work is itself a positive therapeutic intervention that provides important social contact and support.
"On the other hand, staying away from work may lead to depression, isolation, and poorer health.
"Feeling supported and safe at work can also help to prevent other negative consequences of time away. Economic hardship is a strong negative social determinant of health, and delays can lead to patients developing comorbidities that are themselves hard to manage.
"Patients will have individual circumstances that require clinical assessment by their treating medical specialists, typically including their usual GP.
"These are complex consultations that take time, and patients should be supported with appropriate care and funding throughout this process to achieve a positive outcome for the patient, workplaces, and the health system."
About us:
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is the peak representative organisation for general practice, the backbone of Australia's health system. We set the standards for general practice, facilitate lifelong learning for GPs, connect the general practice community, and advocate for better health and wellbeing for all Australians.
