Workers Compensation & Injury Management
Clarkson and Joondalup
If you've been injured at work in Western Australia, the medical side of your claim starts with a consultation and a Certificate of Capacity. Getting that first appointment right — enough time, the correct form, an accurate description of what you can and can't do — makes the difference between a claim that moves and one that stalls.
I see injured workers regularly at both practices, and I work with employers, insurers and return-to-work coordinators as part of that care.
Injured at work? Start here
1. Tell your employer. Report the injury as soon as you can, and ask whether an incident report has been lodged. Do this even if you think the injury is minor.
2. Book a medical appointment — and say it's a new work injury. This matters when you book, not when you arrive. A new work injury ideally needs a longer appointment than a standard consultation.
3. Get your First Certificate of Capacity. This is the WorkCover WA form (CC1) that describes your injury and your capacity for work. A registered medical practitioner must complete the first one — a physiotherapist or other allied health practitioner cannot.
4. Lodge your claim. Give the completed claim form and the certificate to your employer, and keep a copy of both. Your employer forwards it to their insurer, who then decides whether to accept liability.
Book the right appointment
A new work injury needs a long appointment. A standard consultation does not allow enough time for a proper history of the mechanism of injury, an examination, a discussion about your duties, and completion of the certificate.
When you book — online or by phone — select a long appointment and note that it is a new workers compensation injury.
Follow-up and progress certificate appointments are usually shorter.
I am happy to see Worker’s Compensation appointments in the early morning and weekend appointment slots, but please be aware there is an additional $50 gap fee.
Certificates of Capacity
Two forms are used in the WA scheme:
First Certificate of Capacity (CC1) — completed at your first medical appointment for the injury. It must be issued by a medical practitioner. In most cases it cannot cover more than 14 days.
Progress Certificate of Capacity (CC2) — issued at each review to continue certification. These can cover longer periods once your condition and capacity are clearer.
You need a current, valid certificate for the whole period you're claiming weekly payments. Gaps in certification interrupt payments, so book your review before the current certificate expires rather than after.
Two things I can't do
I can't back-date a certificate. WorkCover WA's rules are explicit: the date of issue is the date I complete the form, and it must not be back-dated. If there's a gap between your injury and your first appointment, I can record the date the injury occurred and the date of my assessment — but I can't issue a certificate covering a period before I saw you as though I had.
I can't certify what I haven't assessed. A certificate is a clinical opinion about your capacity, based on examination. If you need certification for a period or a condition I haven't assessed, I'll tell you what I can and can't complete and why.
Why I usually certify restrictions, not "unfit for work"
This is the most common source of frustration, so it's worth explaining before you come in.
WorkCover WA asks medical practitioners to describe what a worker can do, not only what they can't. Where there is no capacity for any work, clinical reasoning has to be provided — and for the first certificate, that reasoning is required whenever no capacity is certified beyond 14 days.
There's a clinical reason behind that, not just an administrative one. For most musculoskeletal injuries, appropriate activity produces better outcomes than complete rest, and long periods away from work are associated with worse recovery and a lower chance of returning at all. Certifying you totally unfit when you have some capacity isn't a favour.
So in most cases I'll certify specific, defined restrictions — limits on lifting weight, time spent standing or sitting, bending, twisting, repetitive movement, driving, or where relevant, cognitive demands and hours. That gives your employer something concrete to work with when identifying suitable duties.
If you genuinely have no capacity for any work, I'll certify that and document the clinical reasoning. That assessment is a clinical judgement, and it can be reviewed as your condition changes.