Working together to support recovery
Planning your recovery takes input from several people - you, your employer, your doctor and more. It’s vital that everybody works together to understand what's needed. The right approach gets the right results.
You - as the injured person - know your situation best. Your doctor or specialist knows the right course of treatment for your injury or illness. You’ll decide together what support you need to help you achieve your return to work goals and then discuss this with your employer.
There must be good communication from the start. This means taking an active part in planning your recovery and return to work and being open about how you’re feeling and what your return to work goals are. Knowing what you need allows people to give the best support they can. Your doctor will be clear about treatment and your employer will be open about what they can offer in the workplace.
It’s your recovery
While there are common paths and timeframes for recovery in some cases, we know that no two situations are the same. Injuries and illnesses can affect people in different ways, even if the nature of the injury is similar.
When WorkCover is helping you and your employer with your claim and recovery, we tailor the process to your individual needs. This makes sure you feel understood and supported and is called a person-centred approach.
We'll work with you to develop a rehabilitation and return to work plan that is focused on your specific goals and sets out your path to recovery. You can request a copy of this plan from us at any time during your claim. This plan will be created in collaboration with you, your doctor and other treating medical and allied health providers, your employer, and WorkCover.
A work-related injury or illness can affect many areas of your life. It can have an impact physically, mentally, and emotionally. It can also affect your income, your family, and your mood.
All of these things need to be considered when planning your recovery. This approach is called biopsychosocial, which means ‘to understand the whole person’.
We’ll explain these approaches and their benefits on the Tailored support - recovery your way page.
Additional support
The following are free, independent and confidential support services that are available:
- Workers’ Psychological Support Service - A free, confidential and independent callback support service where Queenslanders who are struggling mentally due to an injury at work can access support from a social worker. Call 1800 370 732 (during business hours) or info@wpss.org.au. Please note, this is not a crisis service.
- Workers' Compensation Information and Advisory Services (WCIAS) - For Workers - Independent and free information and advice for workers navigating the Queensland workers' compensation scheme. Call 1800 102 166 or visit the website to submit a query online.