C S Nursing Agency Pty Limited has failed to persuade the NSW Workers Compensation Commission to review its previous ruling involving Felicity Ann Blackwell. The medical assessment was made by Dr John Glass, an Approved Medical Specialist, and issued on 25 November 2016. Ms Blackwell worked as a Nursing Assistant at an aged care facility in Caves Beach. She was employed through a nursing agency, working 20 hours per week. She had been working with the aged care facility for about three months prior to her injury. On 17 March 2015 Ms Blackwell was called to come into work and commenced a cleaning shift. She was required to lift a vacuum cleaner onto a trolley and as she lifted it the handle of the vacuum cleaner came off. She grabbed the cleaner from the middle and experienced severe shooting and burning pain in her neck and right arm. She was unable to move her neck. Shortly after the pain radiated down her right arm, passed her elbow and the right arm became “numb”. On the day of the injury she attended the Emergency Department of Belmont hospital. She was released into the care of her regular family practitioner. She was told she had a wry neck as it was tilted to the left. She was seen by Dr Lindsay Marsh on 19 March 2015 who diagnosed a soft tissue injury to her cervical spine. She was advised to rest and a period of physiotherapy was organised and she was given analgesics and anti-inflammatories. She commenced physiotherapy on 20 March 2015 at Macquarie physiotherapy Belmont. She was certified fit for light duties from 30 March 2015 but she did not return to work after the injury due to the severity of the pain. As the symptoms were persisting Dr Marsh referred her for an MRI scan that was taken on 9 April 2015. This demonstrated uncovertebral spurring causing slight narrowing of the right C3/4 foramen with contrast upon the exiting nerve root. There was no evidence of nerve root compression. Over the last 18 months her neck and right arm symptoms have remained unchanged and she has not been able to return to work. She remains significantly disabled due to her symptoms and her neck has remained tilted to the left.
