Role of the Nominated Treating Doctor

If you are off work for more than seven days you will need to advise the insurance company of the doctor who will be responsible for overseeing your return to work plan.

Under the law this person must be a registered medical practitioner and in most cases this would be your treating doctor. The worker has the right to nominate his or her own doctor. The insurance company or employer is not able to override this decision.

The role of the nominated treating doctor is very important as they will be responsible for ensuring that you return to work as safely as possible and there is not a risk of the injury reoccurring.

Often a person can return to return to work to on duties which are not suitable and they run the risks of a further injury and more serious damage, therefore this has to be carefully managed by the doctors and other health experts.

Your doctor will also liase with the insurance company and employer over the return to work plan to make sure that it is acceptable.

Your doctor and will be responsible for developing, managing and signing off on the return to work plan. The return to work plan should be developed between you and your doctor in the first instance, however there may be occasions when another health profession could be involved - for example, a physiotherapist who may have to visit the worksite and make an assessment of the duties which are have been offered or alternatively find out what duties are available and then report back to your doctor.

The employer may also send a return to work plan to your doctor and if your doctor will discuss this with you and require any changes that they feel is necessary or request the health profession to do a work place visit.

If there is a dispute over suitable duties or you or your doctor experience a problem contact the union. Under the new laws a union can take unresolved issues, that is, disputes to the Worker Compensation Commission.

For further information

Contact	:	OHS & Workers Compensation Officer - Mary Yaager
Phone	:	+61 2 9264 1691
Email	:	m.yaager@labor.org.au
WWW	:	http://ohsnet.labor.net.au/ohsnet/news

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