Alex Siqueira has come a long way in a short time to become a Senior Consultant in Occupational Rehabilitation here in Brisbane.
He was born in Brazil, studied and qualified as an Occupational Therapist in Auckland with a postgraduate in rehabilitation, before moving to Brisbane in 2022 to continue his consultant career with us at Acumen Health.
He’s now a Senior Rehabilitation Consultant navigating the Queensland insurance scheme, employing a highly proactive and analytical approach to combat psychosocial barriers and deliver sustainable outcomes for his clients.
We think it’s what Alex loves doing in his free time that also makes him such an effective consultant.
His favourite things to do are exploring new places, going on long runs, and taking time out to get into the book he’s reading.
It’s no surprise that at work, Alex is always ready to take on the unique challenges of a new client.
He’s up to do the hard yards and spend the time to get a great outcome.
Seeing clients achieve their goals and get motivated about their recovery and rehabilitation is what drives Alex.
Speak to Alex, and he’ll tell you that there are three key skills of a successful rehabilitation consultant.
The first is the ability to communicate efficiently, clearly, purposefully, and with empathy across multiple stakeholders such as the insurer, injured worker, and treating medical team.
The next is utilising clinical skills to identify barriers and recommend return to work strategies.
And finally, to have high levels of accountability and discipline with file strategy.
Ultimately, the value of partnering with an external occupational rehabilitation provider, like Acumen Health, rather than keeping things in-house, is taking advantage of a highly trained and committed professionals like Alex.
Here, Alex shares his thoughts on why rehabilitation providers are so valuable in return to work settings.
1. Specific expertise
As allied health professionals, we possess specific knowledge and skills across varying aspects of rehabilitation, medical conditions and injuries, and psychosocial flags, which allows us to tailor rehabilitation programs to meet the unique needs of our individual clients.
2. Objective perspective
External providers offer an objective perspective on the rehabilitation process as we are not directly involved in the workplace dynamics or the personal lives of the individuals undergoing rehabilitation.
We can offer unbiased guidance and support, often offering an ‘outside lens’ of the situation, which is critical when using a ‘whole of human’ approach, and to identify psychosocial influencing factors, or ‘invisible’ factors, that may affect the return to work process.
3. Efficiency and focus
By outsourcing rehabilitation services to external providers, organisations can focus on their core activities while entrusting the rehabilitation process to us.
This can lead to more efficient and effective outcomes for both the individual undergoing rehabilitation and the organisation.
4. Skills to play ‘team captain’
During a workers’ compensation or personal injury claim, there are so many stakeholders that can be at play – from the injured worker, to the insurer, the employer, GP and physio, and internal return to work coordinators.
By having the external provider acting as a team captain to bring all the information together, and proactively set the course utilising their specific expertise, targeted communication skills, and position to keep accountability, it is often a hugely influencing factor to reduce claims durations and increase positive return to work outcomes.
Our expert team, including Alex, are here to help you achieve successful return to work outcomes throughout Queensland.
If you’d like to find out more or get some advice, please contact us.
