A new program developed by
Allianz Australia, in partnership with icare and the NSW Department of Education, is to be trialled in New South Wales in an effort to aid the recovery and return to work of people injured during their employment.
The initiative, called StartSMART, is a free, confidential, and technology-assisted program that provides easy access to qualified rehabilitation wellness consultants during the critical early stages of recovery, and can be used together with existing treatment and workers’ compensation insurance plans.
As estimated 2,000 injured workers will be tapped to participate in the pilot, and if successful, it will be rolled out to benefit more injured workers next year.
StartSMART includes video-conferencing sessions with a personal wellness consultant and allows workers to access the sessions using a smart phone, tablet, or computer wherever they want and at the times they choose.
Mark Pittman, Allianz general manager for government services, said the initiative will empower injured workers to “take control of their recovery so they can return to work, health, and normal activity as soon as possible.”
“Research shows that recovering at work maintains an individual’s connection to the workplace and contributes to their feeling of being valued – important factors in a person’s physical and mental wellbeing – and this program is designed to help workers get to this point sooner,” Pittman said.
Providing the right support to injured workers is a mission shared by its project partner, icare.
“Our focus is on providing an injury management framework that enables an early, safe, and durable return to work for workers, and StartSMART is a key element of that,” said Tim Plant, icare group executive for self-insurance, community, and innovation.
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