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Description

Program outline  

Early intervention reimagined - a biopsychosocial approach to supporting mental health at Australia Post.

•The program was designed to identify workers at high risk of negative mental health outcomes at the early stages of a psychological injury and implement interventions to prevent long-term ill health and poor workers' compensation outcomes.

Initial screening / triage  

•Screening tool: DASS, Mental Health Specialist (MHS) conducts triage

•Method: MHS reviews incident report and supporting documentation, including medical reports

•Protocol: MHS initiates contact with the employee and key stakeholders within 1-2 days of incident report submission

Matched care intervention  

1. Overall system:

•Dedicated MHS role for triaging and supporting employees immediately after incident report lodgement

•Adoption of a biopsychosocial approach to create individualised Plans

•Increased pre-claim communication touchpoints
 

2. Psychosocial support:

•Access to individualised support services during pre-claim phase

•Extension of Early Matched Care Australia Post (EMCAP) Program to employees experiencing psychological distress

•Partnership with EAP Provider Converge for timely specialised psychosocial counselling services
 

3. Extra healthcare support:

•Additional support and guidance through the workers compensation process

•Collaboration with treating practitioners to design individualised Return to Work (RTW) Plans
 

4. Extra workplace support:

•Education and coaching for operational people leaders

•Enhanced partnerships with Operations, HR, and Safety to streamline internal processes

•Research on suitable alternative worksites for employees during HR investigations
 

5. Case manager's role:

•MHS manages the process and collaborates with key stakeholders

•Regular monitoring and reporting of incidents, cases triaged, and key insights
 

Training and Capacity Building  

•Education and Coaching for Operational People Leaders to increase capability and confidence in supporting employees

•MHS upskills the broader Injury Management Team in effective early intervention principles for psychological injuries

Outcome measures  

•Work capacity status at start and end of early intervention service

•Number of employees certified totally unfit for work

•Number of employees performing pre-injury hours

•Number of employees certified fit to perform pre-injury duties

•Uptake rate of EMCAP services

•World Health Organisation-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5) as pre and post service measure

Continuous Quality Improvement  

•Monthly and quarterly reporting to monitor incidents, numbers of cases triaged, and key insights

•Evaluation framework to measure work capacity status at start and end of early intervention service

•Ongoing collaboration with EAP provider to refine and improve EMCAP services

•Regular review and adjustment of the program based on feedback and outcomes

Results  

1. Return to Work (RTW) Rates (based on analysis of 137 employees compared to a pre-intervention control group):

•50% reduction in employees certified totally unfit for work (from 75% to 37%)

•150% increase in employees certified fit to perform pre-injury hours (from 23% to 58%)

•140% increase in employees certified fit to perform full pre-injury duties (from 22% to 53%)
 

2. Biopsychosocial Approach:

•29% of employees had a RTW Plan in place

•Of the remaining, 50% had Return to Health (RTH) goals clearly established and monitored
 

3. EMCAP Program:

•100% uptake rate for psychological injuries (excluding those already engaged with a community-based treating psychologist)

•Up to six sessions of psychosocial counselling.  

•Positive improvements observed in WHO-5 measures
 

4. Other Outcomes:

•Increased employee engagement and communication with the MHS and key stakeholders

•Active participation in agreed health activities and progress towards goals

•Increase in employees' self-efficacy towards managing their psychological health

•Increased understanding and trust in the workers compensation process

Other Outcomes:

•Increased employee engagement and communication with the MHS and key stakeholders

•Active participation in agreed health activities and progress towards goals

•Increase in employees' self-efficacy towards managing their psychological health

•Increased understanding and trust in the workers compensation process