What were the rehabilitation and return-to-work highlights from the Personal Injury Education Foundation Conference ‘PIEF2012’?
PIEF was established in 2006 by a consortium of Australian and New Zealand accident compensation regularators, insurers and claims management organisations who shared the vision of creating leading educational programs, initiatives and events focused on the needs of those working in the accident compensation industry.
They are also sponsors of the next International Forum on Disability Management ‘IFDM2014’ to be held in Auckland, New Zealand from Monday 17 November to Wednesday 19 November 2014, co-hosted by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) of New Zealand
Delegate Terry Bogyo reports on one of the ‘highlights’ of PIEF’s Personal Injury Management Conference which took place from Wednesday 29 to Friday 31 August in Brisbane, Australia.
Terry is the Director of Corporate Planning and Development for (please click on this link! ~ BTC) WorkSafeBC. His current responsibilities include environmental scanning, strategic planning and inter-jurisdictional comparisons.
He writes:
The third keynote speaker in this two-day conference was Professor Sir Mansel Aylward CB, Chair, Public Health Wales and Director, Centre for Psychosocial and Disability Research, Cardiff, Wales.
His talk was primarily based on the bio-psycho-social model but his message was clear:
“We have to change our current thinking and models of disability”
He called this focus on outcomes, on health and work, “a moral obligation”.
He noted that the bio-psycho-social model is now supplanted the standard medical model and has the published, peer-reviewed data with biochemical, neurotransmitter, and other evidence to back it up.
“There is a limited correlation with illness, disability and the capacity for work”
(Aylward) said — a statement that most in the field of vocational rehabilitation would agree with.
He advocates return-to-work outcomes becoming an objective of primary care.
Other topics at the conference included how to define and measure client outcomes, the effects on health, psychological, and work status following compensable injury, and predicting common law claims.
I took copious notes at this event and know I will be following up on much of what was presented.
Although the event is only held every two years, based on having attended two of the last three I have no hesitation in recommending the PIEF conference.
The next one will be Auckland and will be held in conjunction with the International Forum on Disability Management (IFDM).
Information Source:
‘In the pocket of the private insurance industry?’
Qui? Monsieur Aylward?
Now please read:
Injured Workers In BC Routinely Denied WorkSafeBC Insurance Coverage
Bus driver denied WorkSafeBC benefits
Bullying and Medical Malpractice by WorkSafeBC – VIDEO Woman’s video series reports on medical malpractice and bullying perpetrated by WorkSafeBC against her seriously injured husband.
WorkSafeBC under fire from MLA, others
SENATE HEARINGS – The Failed Workers Compensation System and Poverty in Canada
Yes, he has been to New Zealand before as our Social Development Minister announced last week in our Parliament! We look forward to his imminent return. And our ACC is notorious for exiting long-term claimants without sufficient rehabilitation whatsoever. ACC’s designated doctors are our version of ATOS for some people.
Thanks, Chris! Keep us up to date on everything happening on your side. We can collaborate in pooling information and exposing these money grubbers to the glare of the general public on both sides of the globe.
If corporations are globalised – the network of global solidarity and resistance to neoliberalism needs to be firmly established also!
Cheers, Comrade!
Keep up the good work!