New return to work Standard of Practice in force 

SIRA has implemented a new Standard of Practice on the early management of claims and return to work.

Standard 34 applies SIRA’s expectations when it comes to return to work and provides an insurer checklist identifying the risk factors for delayed recovery.

SIRA Chief Executive Adam Dent said that the new Standard of Practice supported SIRA’s focus on driving a turnaround in system-wide return to work performance.

“In December 2021, I announced SIRA’s return to work action plan where I committed to undertaking 10 actions aimed at reversing the trend of poor return to work performance,” Mr Dent said.

“One of the actions was for SIRA to introduce a return to work and early intervention Standard of Practice.

“Working in consultation with insurers, we have created a Standard that will help facilitate early recovery and improved return to work outcomes for people in NSW who are injured at work.

“It is my expectation that all insurers in the NSW workers compensation system follow this Standard to achieve best practice claims administration practices.”

The draft Standard was subject to a public consultation from December 2021, with stakeholders invited to provide feedback by the end of February 2022.

SIRA’s consultation with insurers through the first quarter of this year extended to an education session on the supporting research and practical tips for implementation. More than 240 insurer representatives were in attendance.