Promoting Excellence: A Learning Partnership Approach to Workplace Claims/Injury Management and Rehabilitation in South Australia

Abstract

This paper promotes the notion that workplace claims/injury management and rehabilitation in South Australia should be a learning process for all stakeholders. It argues that this is often ignored by the system where organisational rigidity and fixed expectations exacerbate problems and reduce the opportunity for change, new ways of learning and reciprocity. This paper asserts that what enables successful cost-effective claims/injury management would be the open operation of the pooled wisdom, experiences and practices of the stakeholders. It upholds the view that the systems involved need to be more flexible in facilitating partnerships and new learning, which would require changes in terms of openness, opportunities for learning and interacting, and establishing common focused goals. In order to study these ‘learning partnerships’, this paper attempts to analyse the dynamic configurations of ‘social power’ in the specific contexts in which the various stake-holders interact.

Employers' perceptions of claims/injury management and rehabilitation in South Australia

“…Effective partnerships would be a major factor in providing the cost containment and early return-to-work outcomes that are so significant for employers. One might conclude that the adoption of a learning partnership approach by all the stakeholders would promote excellence, flexibility and reciprocity ensuring more successful cost effective claims/injury management and rehabilitation for all (see Roberts-Yates 2004). D. Christine Roberts-Yates undertook this research while on a private post-doctoral scholarship with the School of Medicine, Flinders University, South Australia, sponsored by Gerard Industries and Normandy Mining SA.…”

Factors influencing return-to-work following upper extremity surgery

“…Similar findings have also been found in previous studies in other workers' compensation jurisdictions. (101,222,350,361) A 'toxic dose' of Canadian workers' compensation systems problems contributed to workers left feeling vulnerable in a system in which they had little control, (222). In a South Australian study, workers feelings of being left 259 "exposed, isolated and disenfranchised", with "little control whilst spinning in perpetual circles of uncertainty" when trying to reconstruct their future work and home lives, following a work-related injury.…”

“…This is further compounded by our systems unintentionally creating power imbalances with the worker feeling like they have no control over their own outcome. (7,361,403) If loss is not acknowledged as part of the natural recovery process through appropriate needs assessment, then opportunities to provide interventions to minimize loss may be missed. These will undoubtedly cause barriers in the RTW process, which may slow progress and contribute to poorer disability outcomes.…”

“…Yet, the recommendation of implementing such an approach as a solution to workers' compensation stakeholder issues in Australia, is not new. (7,361) One of the reasons why this problem still exists may be because including the worker centrally in all key decisionmaking regarding their treatment and determining their own RTW timeframes is perceived to conflicts with the vested interests of other stakeholders, and in particular, concerns regarding cost-containment. (7) However, there may be larger ramifications if the issues revealed in our study occur over time, which may be equally as costly to the worker, employer, insurer and society.…”