Gallagher Bassett (GB) has launched its Mobile Case Management (MCM) service for employers and injured workers in New South Wales, applying a one-to-one, workplace-based case management model that has been used in South Australia for more than a decade.
The service is based on one-to-one claims management and in-person support for selected injury types, with case managers travelling to workplaces, medical practices, and other locations involved in a claim. Josh Newberry (pictured), GB’s executive general manager for South Australia and New South Wales, said the model is built around contact at the workplace and clear responsibility for claim outcomes. “The goal of our MCM service is to deliver real time face-to-face support in the workplace. GB’s mobile case managers are attending worksites, medical practices, and meeting key stakeholders wherever they are needed. In doing so, we are empowering our case managers to attain the best possible recovery outcomes. This is not a pseudo internal rehab model or support. The mobile case manager owns the claim, is the decision maker, and is responsible and accountable for the outcome,” Newberry said.
GB is working with employer clients to co-design health and return-to-work approaches that align with each organisation’s workforce profile and operating conditions. This includes early identification of employee groups, assessment of workplace and operational risks, and consideration of any specific requirements that may affect recovery planning and duties. Newberry said the company frames MCM as a claims management method that combines data, clinical input, and defined caseload structures. “Our mobile case managers take a hands-on approach to design a tailored recovery pathway for the employee. They are expert claims handlers with all of GB’s tools and data at their disposal, connected with mental health consultants and general practitioners every step of the way. Autonomy and ownership over decision-making are paramount for our case managers. Caseloads are capped at 25, ensuring each manager can build those critical face-to-face relationships with injured workers, employers, and health professionals. It’s all in service of better health and return-to-work outcomes,” Newberry said. The MCM roll-out provides an additional case management approach alongside workplace rehabilitation providers (WRPs) and insurer-run programs.
GB’s launch in NSW follows the passage of a workers’ compensation reform package through the state parliament on Feb. 5. The measures, agreed after negotiations involving lower house crossbench members, were approved by the Legislative Council and then endorsed by the Legislative Assembly. Key elements of the reforms include:
Read next: NSW parliament approves workers’ compensation reform package
The changes also give the Treasurer powers to lower the WPI threshold if this is considered to be in the public interest, replace the Business Connect program, and revise terminology related to the “reasonable management action” defence. The reforms change scheme parameters that may influence pricing assumptions, benefit design, and claims management strategies, especially for psychological injury claims and longer-duration cases.
The legislative changes sit alongside current regulatory work on rehabilitation outcomes. In August 2025, the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) released the results of an independent evaluation of Workplace Rehabilitation Providers, carried out by Urbis in partnership with Monash University. The evaluation found that WRPs are involved in about one in three workers’ compensation claims in NSW. For claims with WRP involvement, roughly three-quarters of workers achieve what the review termed a durable return to work, defined as returning to employment and sustaining that return within 13 weeks. In the 2022-23 financial year, expenditure on workplace rehabilitation services in NSW was about $185 million. The report set out six recommendation areas for the WRP sector: embedding best practice in service delivery, supporting the financial sustainability of services, strengthening provider approval and underperformance management processes, improving data and performance monitoring systems, enhancing claims outcomes, and developing a sustainable WRP workforce.
