As clinicians in urgent care, we see many injuries covered by ACC. We are, therefore, responsible for completing many ACC 45 forms, which indicate a patient’s work capacity following their injury. We will also complete many ACC 18 forms for patients returning for planned reviews (Fracture Clinics) or who choose to return to urgent care.
How we complete these forms impacts how ACC and employers can utilise the employee. A fully unfit certificate removes any possibility to engage an employee in some kind of work which can mean patients spend protracted time away from work which results in poorer outcomes.
Placing someone as fully unfit for work is driven by many factors. It is certainly the easiest option during a busy shift and there are always reports from both patients and employers that this is required as there are “no light duties available”. But by completing a fully unfit certificate we are preventing ACC from engaging with an employer and finding ways to help patients recover at work and therefore achieve better outcomes.
This article from BPAC, supported by ACC, is approved for RNZCUC CPD. It outlines and discusses the benefits to patients and clearly tells us under what circumstances we should complete a fully unfit certificate. As you will read, there are very few reasons.
ACC want to see decreasing numbers of fully unfit certificates and, using this guidance, it should be possible for us all in urgent care to reduce the number we provide. This will help ACC to improve patients’s recovery and achieve better long-term outcomes.
You can review the BPAC page by following this link. Record time spent reading the information, including links, and any time reflecting on the content in UCCIS.
If you want an ACC handout that supports you in providing medical certificates then you can find one at this link. This will answer many of the questions that follow on from giving a patient a certificate that is not fully unfit and will save you time in your consultation.
