By the time the Initial / Vocational Assessment is due to take place, our consultant would have a solid grasp of the case based on the gap analysis as listed above. The consultant would conduct a comprehensive Initial / Vocational assessment (within 5 days of referral) in order to gain specific information in regards to the client as follows:
- Injury history
- Current medical status including treatment and medication
- Current physical, psychological, psycho social, financial and other symptoms as a result of the compensable condition
- Injury recovery and employment status
- Educational background including all qualifications / licences / certificates / courses completed to date
- Aptitude / skill level (such as language, written or mathematical skill) acquired through questioning and occupational testing such as the WRAT, DAT, CORT, Brief Aptitude Inventory, ACER Clerical and Numerical Test (testing is chosen based on client’s primary language and previous employment / skill
- Employment history including detailed description of duties conducted by the injured worker, specific places of employment, things they enjoyed most about each role, qualifications required for each role, whether they would return to this role if physically capable and their reasons for leaving this role
- Self reported skills as reported by the injured worker
- Interests and hobbies as reported by the injured worker
- Self reported barriers to redeployment related to injury
- Self reported barriers to redeployment unrelated to injury
At the time of assessment, Injury Treatment would also acquire signed information consent and signed job seeking contract whilst providing the injured worker relevant Work Cover NSW pamphlets including ‘Your rights and responsibilities as an injured worker’. Following the Initial / Vocational Assessment identification of vocational goals would occur taking into consideration the injured worker’s medical restrictions, transferable skills, aptitude, interests, employment history, hobbies and pre injury earnings combined with Work Cover NSW vocational assessment and vocational retraining guidelines. Taking into consideration what we know about the injured worker, Dementia Home Monitoring Support Worker could be identified as a suitable goal.
Following the Initial / Vocational Assessment Injury Treatment would organise a GP case conference within 8 business days of referral in order to acquire the following information
- diagnosis
- expected prognosis
- identification of suitable treatment
- commitment to the identified vocational options identified.
The most likely scenario from the GP case conference, based on Injury Treatment’s previous experience is
- confirmation of diagnosis
- information in regards to prognosis and the injured worker’s capacity to upgrade their physical capacity
- identification and agreement to refer for appropriate treatment
- commitment to vocational goals identified.
Often, Injury Treatment gains an upgrade in medical certification at the initial GP case conference with commitment to further increase certification pending treatment as such it the expected upgrade at the initial GP case conference would be an upgrade in the injured workers medical certification to at least 15 hours per week.
