Events across WA in October 2024!
Through the last two weeks of October 2024, the It Pays to Care team was out and about in Perth, WA - participating in conferences, hosting events, and engaging with work injury management stakeholders. We've collected some of the highlights below!
ANZSOM ASM
The Australia and New Zealand Society of Occupational Medicine (ANZSOM) hosted their Annual Scientific Meeting from 20-23 October. This year's ASM - subtitled, "Innovate, Integrate, Inspire" - brought together many of the region's top occupational medicine players to discuss the future of their profession. That discussion involved a renewed attention to the It Pays to Care policy!
IPTC's Dr Mary Wyatt co-presented with Suncorp's Michael Walsh on developing a national standard for workplace injury management in Australia. Their presentation spurred great conversation with ASM attendees, and we continue to welcome discussion with occupational medicine professionals from across Australia and New Zealand.
ANZSOM have been great proponents of the IPTC policy and invaluable secretariat partners since the policy's publication. We're incredibly grateful for their ongoing support!
IPTC x Suncorp/GIO
On Monday 28 October, IPTC was privileged to present to a room of WA employers, brought together by Suncorp/GIO. The session, while short, was insightful and the discussion was wide ranging. Beyond the information shared, the session was a great opportunity for work injury management professionals from 19 industries to come together, build understanding of their common challenges, and workshop opportunities for future directions.
We thank Suncorp for welcoming us to their Perth office, and thank each of the employers who brought a great energy and willingness to share. We hope each participant was able to take some opportunities back to their colleagues, and we look forward to working with the group on future workshops and engagement opportunities.
IPTC Pre-Conference Symposium
On the afternoon of Monday 28 October, the IPTC team (working alongside, and with great support from, PIEF) hosted a symposium for work injury management stakeholders. Over 60 participants representing insurers, regulators, healthcare providers, brokers, employers and others from every Australian jurisdiction came together on the day. The symposium was another great success, reaffirming the importance of the IPTC policy for overcoming barriers to effective work injury management. Most importantly, participants had the opportunity to come together, share wisdom, and plot a course toward practically realising the policy.
When each of table was asked whether they though the people in the room (and at the broader PIEF Conference) have the knowledge and talents to transform work injury management: the answer was a resounding yes! Consensus is that the sector can collaborate to improve processes and, ultimately, outcomes.
Thank you to our panellists Ian Maybury (Lockton), Rebecca Harris (WorkcoverWA), Tahnee Vidler (Suncorp), Dr Amy Bright (Occupational Physician), and Mark Isaacs (PIEF) for sharing insights and wisdom. And thank you to all participants and our partners at PIEF for making the event what it was.
PIEF National Conference and Awards
Wrapping up the team's time in the wild west was the Personal Injury and Disability Management National Conference and Awards, hosted by our friends at the Personal Injury Education Foundation (PIEF). Dr Mary Wyatt once again presented alongside Suncorp/GIO's Michael Walsh, engaging the crowd in a discussion on the Work Injury Management Standards. This collaborative work has been progressing quickly over the past 12 months, and the presenters invite wide engagement for future discussions.
The IPTC team had the honour of being named a finalist for the 'Outstanding Contribution by a Team' award at the PIEF awards gala. IPTC extends our heartfelt congratulations to all winners and nominees, and maintains that it is the work of all of these great people that push us toward
In summary, it's been a productive, energising and inspiring two weeks on the west coast, and the IPTC team are looking forward to the continuous evolution of our work as we head into 2025.
