Can I change my workplace rehabilitation provider in NSW?

Workplace rehabilitation providers can be useful when they help a worker return to safe, medically appropriate duties. SIRA describes workplace rehabilitation providers as health professionals who can help with recovery at work. A provider may perform a single service, such as a workplace assessment, or provide ongoing support until there is a safe and durable recovery at work.

Problems start when the provider becomes the practical engine of the claim. A rehab consultant may attend case conferences, speak to the employer, draft duties plans, comment on capacity, or report that a worker is not cooperating. If those notes are accurate and medically aligned, they can help. If they are incomplete, unrealistic, or disconnected from the certificate of capacity, they can create serious payment and evidence risk.

When it may be reasonable to ask for a different provider

A provider change request is strongest when it is tied to a concrete return-to-work problem. For example, the provider may be proposing duties that do not match the treating doctor’s restrictions, downplaying medication side effects, ignoring psychological triggers, arranging contact in a way that worsens symptoms, or documenting conversations inaccurately. The issue can also be practical: missed appointments, poor communication, no clear plan, or a perceived conflict because the provider appears to be acting only on the employer’s instructions.

Avoid framing the request as a personal dispute if the real issue is evidence. Instead, explain what part of the plan is unsafe, unrealistic, or not medically supported. If the concern is that a provider has misunderstood the injury, attach the certificate of capacity, specialist report, or treating note that shows the mismatch. If the concern is consultation, identify the dates you were not consulted or the parts of the plan you were not allowed to comment on before it was sent to the insurer.

How to request the change without weakening your claim

Put the request in writing to the insurer, and copy the employer or provider only if that is appropriate for the situation. Keep the wording calm. You are not trying to prove every dispute in one email. You are asking the decision-maker to recognise that the current provider relationship is not supporting safe and durable recovery at work.

Do not stop attending reasonable appointments just because you have asked for a different provider. If an appointment is unsafe, medically inappropriate, or impossible to attend, explain why in writing and get medical support where possible. Silence can be misdescribed later as non-cooperation.

Evidence checklist for a provider change request

The useful evidence is usually simple, but it needs to be organised. Keep the current recovery at work plan, all versions of the certificate of capacity, emails with the provider, appointment notes, job task descriptions, and any doctor or specialist comments about what duties are safe. If the provider’s report says you can do something your doctor has not cleared, mark that sentence and ask the doctor to address it directly.

• Current certificate of capacity and any recent change in restrictions.
• Specialist, GP, physiotherapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist material explaining functional limits.
• The provider’s proposed plan, including duties, hours, travel, supervision, breaks, and review dates.
• Emails or notes showing whether you were consulted before the plan was finalised.
• Examples of tasks that are unsafe, outside restrictions, or not actually available at the workplace.
• A short timeline showing when the provider problem started and what you asked to be corrected.

If the provider issue is connected to a payment reduction, keep the insurer notice in the same bundle. Rehabilitation material can become part of a weekly payment argument, especially where the insurer says there is current work capacity or suitable employment. That is why a provider change request should usually sit beside a broader evidence plan, not replace it.

What if your doctor and the rehab provider disagree?

A disagreement between your nominated treating doctor and the rehabilitation provider should be narrowed quickly. Ask what exact fact is disputed: diagnosis, restrictions, hours, travel, lifting, sitting, standing, psychological exposure, medication, or whether the workplace can actually provide modified duties. Then ask your doctor to respond to that exact issue in practical work terms.

If the doctor’s certificate is too brief, the insurer may keep relying on the provider’s more detailed report. A stronger certificate or short report should explain what the worker can do, what they cannot do, what would make the condition worse, and what information the doctor has used. If the insurer is also relying on an independent medical examination, compare that report with the unfair IME report guide so all medical and rehabilitation assumptions are tested together.

Sometimes the better immediate step is not only changing provider. It may be asking for a corrected recovery at work plan, a case conference with clear agenda items, a workplace assessment that includes the actual duties, or a written decision from the insurer. The right path depends on whether the problem is poor communication, unsafe work design, inaccurate capacity evidence, or a formal insurer decision affecting benefits.

Source basis and accuracy note

This guide is based on current SIRA public guidance identified for workplace rehabilitation providers, including SIRA’s practice guidance that workers should be consulted and given the opportunity to nominate or request a change in provider, SIRA’s worker information about what to expect from a workplace rehabilitation provider, and the local SIRA Workers Compensation Guidelines source extract covering rehabilitation expenses, work capacity assessments, injury management consultants, and independent medical examinations. It gives general information only and does not assume that every request must be accepted.