Medical practitioner resources

Medical practitioners play a critical role in the management of an employee’s recovery and return to health and work. They are best placed to help the employee 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.

Assessing capacity for patients with a psychological condition

	Comcare has released a video by a Consultant Psychiatrist that provides better practice information and recommendations for Treating Health Practitioners on how to practically assess capacity for work for patients with a psychological condition. The video has been adapted for national use with the support of WorkSafe Victoria.

Work-related mental health guidelines for GPs

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) guidelines

Phoenix Australia have developed the Australian Guidelines for the Treatment of Acute Stress Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to provide information about the most effective treatments for PTSD. The Black Dog Institute, Phoenix Australia and the University of New South Wales have co-authored a resource to encourage clinicians to achieve best practice in managing PTSD in emergency service workers.

A Clinician’s Summary of the Expert Guidelines on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Emergency Service Worker is a new evidence-based summary that has been endorsed by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.

Frequently asked questions for medical practitioners (GPs and other specialists)

View frequently asked questions for medical practitioners relating to working with Comcare and regarding your patients' claim and what they are entitled to.

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.

RTW case conferencing connects the GP, employer, employee, other treatment providers and the insurer at the right time to best support RTW. The RTW case conferencing 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 Good Work, recovery at and RTW, and Work Health and Safety issues in a free monthly publication. Subscribe now .

AFOEM consensus statement on the Health Benefits of Good 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 Good 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 publications

• Comcare video - Assessing capacity for patients with a psychological condition
• 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