Suncorp compulsory third party claims expert Kylie Horton will explore the rise in mental health injury claims in CTP and workers’ compensation at an upcoming Australian Insurance Law Association conference.

Ms Horton, the insurer’s EM of Queensland CTP, will tell the conference on the Gold Coast in September that insurers are finding innovative ways to rehabilitate psychiatric illness claimants.

She will present alongside WorkCover Queensland chief legal officer Janine Reid.

More than 30% of Suncorp CTP claims include psychiatric injuries, and Ms Horton says separating accident-related psychological symptoms from longstanding conditions that fall outside the CTP legislation’s scope is a key challenge.

Another problem is a lack of service providers, she says. Early intervention from physiotherapists qualified to provide mental wellbeing advice such as anxiety management can improve outcomes.

“The lack of psychiatrists is a national challenge, but we need to be flexible and tackle injuries from multiple angles, for example, getting mental health-qualified social workers involved,” Ms Horton said. 

Claims may have increased, in part, because there is now less stigma associated with reporting mental health injuries, and telehealth consultations have given people in remote and regional areas better access to treatment.

WorkCover is implementing identification strategies to find people at risk and intervene to minimise claims costs and time off work. It is piloting an optional psychosocial screening survey for injured workers at small businesses, which asks questions about sleep patterns, for example. WorkCover can provide appropriate external support services.

There are plans to scale up the pilot, which Ms Reid says is “a wise investment”.