Dust diseases clinic improves medical care

A new dust diseases clinic has been established to improve access to care for NSW workers.

The icare Dust Diseases Clinic will provide better access to medical screening and support services for NSW workers impacted by exposure to hazardous materials such as asbestos and silica. The facility is located at icare’s new premises on Pitt Street.

The clinic’s screening services are free of charge and include access to X-ray, full lung function test and a medical examination with a medical specialist.

“The NSW Government has provided medical screening services to employers and people impacted by exposure to hazardous dust for over 40 years,” said Treasurer and Minister for Industrial Relations Dominic Perrottet.

“We are always working to identify and prevent illnesses as well as improve quality of life for workers diagnosed with a dust disease and their families.

“It is vital they have access to timely, convenient and state-of-the-art medical care and support.”

Perrottet said the new icare Dust Diseases Clinic has been designed around the customer, providing the latest medical technology and fully wheelchair accessible.

Workers screened at the icare clinic can have an appointment, diagnosis and medical certification completed quickly, allowing for the determination of their claim within 10–30 days. This compares to between 30 and 180 days when completed by external providers.

“By combining three distinct lung screening services in one location, the icare Dust Diseases Clinic reduces the time customers must wait for specialist appointments and diagnoses by more than 80%,” Perrottet said.

The Pitt Street centre also provides options for expanded service and support offerings to all of icare’s customers over time. Areas of the multipurpose centre have already been made available for use by community groups offering support and peer services to icare customers.

Since March 2016, icare has offered workers a choice of service provider for their medical screening examinations. Workers can choose to attend a medical examination at the icare clinic, via the icare Lung Screen mobile respiratory unit, through their regular treating respiratory physician or through a recommended locally based provider.

On average, icare covers between 1250 and 1400 individual worker medical examinations each year.

Image caption: icare Dust Diseases Clinic opening.