ReturnToWork SA Impairment Assessment Guidelines

NECA SA/NT has been invited by ReturnToWork SA to participate in the Stakeholder Representative Consultation Group at the invitation of the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, the Hon Kyam Maher MLC, to co-design a draft version of the Third Edition Impairment Assessment Guidelines for consultation.

Once completed, a formal consultation process will be undertaken to seek feedback from all stakeholders. The Guidelines govern the medical assessment of Whole Person Impairment under the South Australian Return to Work scheme. The Guidelines are used by suitably trained and accredited medical practitioners for the assessment of the degree of Whole Person Impairment arising from a work injury resulting in permanent impairment. As such, the voice of employer associations will be crucial in the development of these future Guidelines.

You can download the Impairment Assessment Guidelines 2nd Edition here > 

Could members please provide feedback to these questions especially those that have used the attached guidelines. 

Please address all enquiries and replies to Ben Simpson, NECA SA/NT HSEQ Manager on 0409 232 075 or email Ben. 

1.    What are the key issues or problems that should be resolved in this new edition of the guidelines? 

2.    Are there elements of the Guidelines that cause unnecessary delays or slow the process down unnecessarily? 

3.    Are there any areas of the Guidelines that are particularly complex or could be streamlined? 

4.    Are there any areas of the Guidelines that cause ambiguity or could be made clearer? 

5.    How could revisions to the Guidelines make the impairment assessment process easier/ simpler:

•    For assessors
•    For requestors
•    For injured workers
•    Other stakeholders?

6.    Reflecting on the process for the Second Edition Guidelines, how could we improve consultation for the Third Edition Guidelines? How would you prefer to be engaged?