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What a workplace rehabilitation provider does

A WRP is a SIRA approved organisation that coordinates your return to work. Here is what they actually do, and how they differ from your treating clinician.

A workplace rehabilitation provider, usually shortened to WRP, is a SIRA approved organisation whose job is to help you recover at work after an injury. They are separate from the physiotherapist, doctor or other clinician who treats your injury. Think of your treater as the person fixing the injury, and the WRP as the person coordinating everything around getting you safely back to your job.

SIRA approves WRPs under the workers compensation scheme, and there are around 100 approved providers operating across NSW, many with several branches. Only an approved provider can be paid by the insurer to deliver these services.

What they actually do

A WRP typically starts with an assessment of your current capacity: what you can and cannot do right now, given your injury. From there they work with you, your employer and your treating doctor to identify suitable duties, hours you can manage, and any changes to your workplace or tasks that would let you work while you recover.

They then build a return to work plan, monitor how it is going, and adjust it as your capacity changes. Where returning to your old role is not possible, they can help with retraining or finding a new suitable role. Good WRPs keep you informed, explain each step, and treat the plan as something built with you, not handed to you.

Who asks for a WRP

A referral to a WRP usually comes from your employer or the insurer when your return to work is not straightforward, for example if you have been off work for a while, your duties need to change, or there is disagreement about what you can do. You can also raise the idea yourself. Being referred to a WRP is a normal part of the scheme, not a sign that something has gone wrong.

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