Pawan Mehta – Utilising unique strengths and capabilities of workers - Resolve Rehabilitation Services

Resolve Rehabilitation Services is a proactive service provider managing injury and safety in the workplace. Resolve works collaboratively with workers and employers in achieving desired outcomes through customised and targeted services. We work with a diverse range of workers and employers and have delivered proactive and seamless services involving early intervention. Through our holistic and practical approach we equip workers to utilise their capabilities in achieving/maintaining work, enhance personal skills, self-confidence and ability to participate in community/productive life.

We offer a wide range of high quality services to meet the specific requirements of our customers, including a full range of occupational rehabilitation services, return to work planning and management, worksite assessments, ergonomic assessments, risk assessment and management, workplace training, job seeking and placement services.

Our services are outcome focused, achieving the best possible results for our customers. This is evidenced by our current achievement of three star rating (the highest star rating by WorkCover) for both OES and NES services provision.

Describe what do you do better or differently in the way you manage injured workers' return to work compared to other occupational rehabilitation consultants?

Pawan focuses his skills on providing proactive injury management services and strategies that create dynamic solutions that assist in reducing return to work barriers. This includes:
• Individualised intervention geared to meet specific needs, by forging close working relationships with his clients to best understand these needs.
• Setting realistic goals that enable the client to achieve their desired outcome in a supported environment.
• Proactive communication & regular case meetings with treating practitioners.
• Positive reinforcement of work focus to workers, employers and treaters.
• Equipping workers with the strategies to minimise future aggravations through functional education on work postures and practices, and manual handling techniques that are specific to their actual work.

Provide an example of a great return to work outcome or initiative you have achieved/developed?

Pawan believes that early intervention following injury and working at the local level involving site managers/supervisors are vital to achieving the full potential of any return to work solution.

He had adapted this approach within two major hospitals by developing partnership with all key stakeholders at the onset, involving site personnel directly in customising specific services, proactively seeking 360-degree feedback and acting on the feedback, & robust monitoring.

Through this strategic and integrated approach he has been able to achieve excellent outcomes in return to work rates, case duration and costs for both hospitals.

What's the secret to the success of your return to work initiative and/or as an occupational rehabilitation consultant?

• Ability to connect with worker, employers and treating practitioners
• Developing and implementing appropriate individualised programs, which cater to the workers’ unique strengths and abilities.
• Providing services by drawing on his specialised skills, strategies and knowledge to increase outcomes for worker and employers.
• Understanding the need to clearly define the requirement of clients at the earliest.
• Robust communication with workers, employers and treaters.
• Collaborating solutions to the barriers to return to work through proactive involvement with workers and employers and by utilising targeted strategies to achieve early return to work. This in turn reduces production losses and results in savings in premium costs for employers, as well as reducing the emotional and financial burdens of workers.

Where possible please provide information that will support your entry, this could include return to work results.

Pawan has monitored his service levels to clients, achieving a high level of customer satisfaction by providing services that meet their needs and resolve their complaints. His achievement of excellent service delivery is reinforced not only anecdotally by his workers and employers through their generous commendations and feedback, but also through his personal return to work outcomes.

He has been a significant contributor to the achievement and sustainment of Resolve’s three star rating in OES, and his personal outcome rates are significantly higher than that of the scheme and our organisation. Individually his return to work outcomes achieved over the last two years for these hospitals are 87.5% and 91.1% respectively.

*Disclaimer:
The publishing of entries on the WorkSafe Awards website and or/the granting of an award does not constitute any endorsement by WorkSafe Victoria of a product, method or service, or the occupational health and safety performance of the workplace. Monthly Champions must undergo expert review to progress through to the stringent validation and judging process and can only progress to the next stage of entry once WorkSafe are satisfied that the entry/entrant has met the relevant award category criteria and terms and condition of entry.

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