4.5.12.1 Types of requests for equipment & related services

Continence, wound care and nutritional equipment requests

Equipment	Prescriber
Continence equipment	Qualified continence nurse or urologist
Wound care equipment	Wound Management Specialist, where the injured worker has complex or pressure care wounds, or a community nurse.
Nutritional equipment	Qualified dietitian

Agents may accept a prescription for a maximum of 2 years or request once-off supply.

Continence, wound care and nutritional equipment must be prescribed from the WorkSafe Contracted Supplier Equipment List using the Continence Equipment Request and Order Form – Hospital Discharge or the Continence Prescription (Community) Form.

Where requested items are not on the Contracted Supplier Equipment List, the Agent must provide the equipment order form to the WorkSafe Equipment Purchasing Team.

Medical beds and related items

In certain circumstances, WorkSafe may pay the reasonable cost of, or make a contribution to, the purchase of a:

• medical bed and related item

• companion bed or mattress for a medical bed

• non-medical bed and related items

An injured worker may claim the reasonable cost of a medical bed or a related item if they:

• are participating in a WorkSafe approved CIP Community Integration Program or have a spinal cord, acquired brain injury/traumatic brain injury or amputation as a result of their work-related An injury/disease is work related if it arose out of or in the course of employment and the scope of employment. injury; and

• can supply clinical justification from a suitably qualified Allied Health Professional (e.g. occupational therapist) for the requested item.

If the injured worker does not meet the above criteria and is recommended a medical bed mattress by the prescribing Health Professional, they will be required to contribute towards the cost of the medical bed in line with the WorkSafe contribution table set out in the guidelines.

Agents are required to contact the WorkSafe's Equipment Purchasing Team (email to equipment@worksafe.vic.gov.au) for all medical and non-medical bed, mattress and related item requests.

Where requested items can be ordered directly from WorkSafe's contracted equipment suppliers

With a prescription and valid quote from the prescribing THP Treating Health Practitioner, the Agent can order directly from a Contracted Equipment Supplier:

• Any item valued under $1,000 (excluding GST Goods and Services Tax) supplied by a Contracted Equipment Supplier

• Any item listed on the WorkSafe Contracted Supplier Equipment List including:

  • equipment supply (purchase)

  • equipment hire

  • equipment trials

  • equipment repairs and maintenance

  • equipment retrieval (only for high cost equipment)

  • installation

  • delivery

See: Processing requests for items ordered directly from WorkSafe's contracted equipment suppliers

Where requested items are small stock (less than $200)

See: Small stock items under $200

Where equipment requested is to be hired

• for >4 weeks it is recommended to purchase the equipment if total cost is less than $200
• if total cost is >$200, consider contacting equipment supplier to discuss cost/benefit of purchase vs hire

Where a hospital direct order form is received

See: Hospital direct orders

Items not provided by Contracted Equipment Suppliers or the WorkSafe Equipment Purchasing Team

• prosthetics and orthotics
• small stock items provided by a treating medical practitioner, physiotherapist Registered physiotherapist means a person registered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law to practise in the physiotherapy profession (other than as a student)., chiropractor, osteopath or occupational therapist after in-rooms treatment
• regular services associated with personal safety equipment

For these items the provider must be WorkSafe registered and standard Agent approval processes to be followed.

Equipment Trials

It is best practice for prescribing health professionals to complete an in-person equipment trial with the worker to ensure the recommended equipment item is fit for purpose.

Equipment trial details and outcomes should be documented in the applicable prescription form.

It is expected that trials of items from WorkSafe's contracted equipment suppliers will occur before recommending an item from an alternative supplier. The prescribing health professional must provide written clinical justification for the recommended item. If an item is requested from an alternative supplier, the written clinical justification must also explain why WorkSafe’s contracted equipment supplier products did not meet the worker’s injury related needs.

Trials of Adaptive Household Equipment should be completed as part of a Household help services needs assessment. Whilst it is best practice to complete an equipment trial, if the assessing health professional deems a trial is not necessary or appropriate for adaptive household equipment, the clinical rationale for no trial should be documented on the Household help services needs assessment form.

See: Adaptive household equipment

Equipment trials are mandated/discretionary as follows. Please note, this list is not exhaustive.

Trial mandated, applicable prescription form or report required	Trial per prescriber discretion
Medical Beds, EPF required	Light weight adaptive household cleaning equipment, HHSNA or EPF required
Mattresses, EPF required	Low-cost meal prep adaptive equipment, EPF required.
Recliners, EPF required	Light weight adaptive gardening equipment, HHSNA or EPF required
Home modifications, Home Modification report required	Long handled equipment, HHSNA or EPF required
Vehicle modifications, Vehicle Modification report required	Stools, EPF required
Bed sticks, EPF required	Shower chair, EPF required
Heavy weight gardening equipment, EPF required
Ride on mower and related equipment, Ride on mower prescription form required

 

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