Medical practitioner resources

Medical practitioners play a critical role in the management of an employee’s recovery and returne to health and work.  They are best placed to help the employee to understand the benefits of good work and the contributing factors for their recovery. Comcare provides the following resources to support medical practitioners to facilitate employee’s return to health and good work:

Certificate of capacity

A guide to completing the certificate of capacity; focusing on what the employee can do, rather than what they can’t do, with respect to their injury or disease.

GP Liaison officer

Comcare’s General Practitioner (GP) Liaison Officer supports medical practitioners and practice staff to work with Comcare and facilitate the patient’s recovery at or return to work.
The GP Liaison Officer is available to meet with you at your practice or can speak with you over the phone or via email.  Contact the GP Liaison Officer by email: GPLiaison@comcare.gov.au or phone: 0419 512 964.

Return to work (RTW) case conferencing

Returning to work following illness or injury or staying in work whilst managing injury or illness is an important part of rehabilitation and recovery. Participation in the workplace can have a significant impact on a person's emotional, social and physical wellbeing.
Return to work (RTW) case conferencing connects the GP, the employer, the employee, other treatment providers and the insurer at the right time to best support return to work.
The RTW case conferencing resources assist relevant stakeholders with employee return to work following injury or disease, or staying in work whilst managing the injury or disease as an important part of rehabilitation and recovery.
These resources aim to enhance communication between all stakeholders to facilitate and support recovery at work and are available either as a collection or as individual resources.

Latest literature research

Comcare’s Emerging Evidence Alert provides the latest literature research on evidence based results on Health Benefits of Work, recovery at and returning to work and Work Health and Safety issues in a free monthly publication. Subscribe now.  For more information including back issues, email emergingevidencealert@comcare.gov.au.

AFOEM consensus statement on the health benefits of work

The Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (AFOEM), a Faculty of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), launched the Australian and New Zealand Consensus Statement on the Health Benefits of Work on 30 March 2011. The consensus statement brings together a wide range of stakeholder signatories who each affirm the importance of work as a determinant of health.

Comcare online forms

To register as a provider and to update your email/EFT bank account details for reimbursements and communication updates with Comcare.

Comcare publications

• As one working together: promoting mental health and wellbeing at work
  An ‘Investing in Experience’ product that provides practical information and guidance on how to support mature workers to continue working.
• Working for recovery: suitable employment for return to work following psychological injury
  A ‘First steps back’ product that provides practical information, guidance and resources on how to support an employee with a psychological injury or disease to recover at or return to work.
• Health benefits of Work – factsheets
  > about the health benefits of work
  > health benefits of work – the evidence