Staff Biographies

Narelle Sohier   BHlthSc. RN ICU
Practice Manager / Director

Narelle is a senior Nurse Manager with over 20 years clinical, management and teaching experience.  As Practice Director, Narelle and her administration support team case manage in excess of 180 expert reports each year. Since taking over CDC in 2005 Narelle’s key focus has been on quality assurance, customer service and the implementation of systems to ensure that the expert services provided at CDC stand up to  the close scrutiny of the legal community, and that they are produced efficiently and on time. The recent appointment of a Clinical Director affirms Narelle’s commitment to guaranteeing the highest possible standard of clinical assessment and evidence based expert reporting from the team of experts at CDC.

In addition to her management responsibilities Narelle also authors the Cost of Care reports. Considerable time is spent researching and liaising with in home community care agencies to ensure that the Cost of Care reports provide pertinent and reliable information on the available home care and domestic assistance services to individual clients and that the costs quoted are always current, reliable and accurate.

Helen is ideally suited as CDC Services Clinical Director. She was a key member of the Occupational Therapy Association of NSW’s steering committee responsible for developing the guidelines for medico-legal report writing. Her qualifications and far reaching experience in medico legal, clinical, management and research fields sees her leading our Professional Development and Quality Assurance Programmes. Helen’s responsibilities include peer review, training and ongoing education of the CDC Experts. 

Helen is our leading medico legal practitioner with over 8 years of medicolegal experience. Helen’s area of expertise is in Traumatic brain injury, Acquired Brain Injury and Musculo – skeletal rehabilitation. Helen has undertaken accredited training in providing evidence as an Expert Witness and use of evidence based practice.

Helen is a highly regarded senior Occupational Therapist with over 19 years experience, having worked as the OT Director of a large rehabilitation hospital in Sydney, as well as various in patient and community rehabilitation facilities in Australia and the United States.

Helen has been an Assessor of severe neurological injuries with the MAA. Helen lectured at Sydney University for 3 years and is an accomplished presenter; having  presented at State and National Conferences,  invited to speak overseas and published  in a peer review journal. She is an Accredited Member of the OT Association and chairs the OT Private Practice Interest Group. In addition to her medico – legal commitments. Helen works in private practice providing Occupational Therapy services for the Department of Veteran Affairs and a private Rehabilitation Hospital. She also participates extensively in Continuing Education and has been a recipient of substantial research grants from NSW Health.

Danielle Roxburgh B.App.Sc (Occupational Therapy)

Danielle has been preparing medico-legal reports for over 3 years. Danielle has undertaken accredited training in providing evidence as an Expert Witness and the use of evidence based practice.

Danielle is a senior Occupational Therapist, having gained her wide ranging knowledge in various specialties in Australia and overseas - including occupational rehabilitation (CRS Australia), adult brain injury(Liverpool Brain Injury Unit), physical rehabilitation (Calvary Hospital), paediatrics (private Occupational Therapy practice) and aged care (Aged Care Assessment Team). Her wide knowledge base enables an accurate evidence based assessment of a person’s physical treatment needs, care and assistance needs, equipment and services related to physical rehabilitation.

She has had extensive experience working with WorkCover, Specialist Disability Service Providers, Insurers and local Councils.

Jane Rorke BAppSc. (Physiotherapy)DipEd(Science/Maths)

Jane has worked for over 11 years as a Physiotherapist in both hospital and private practice settings.She has been a clinical educator at the Sydney Adventist Hospital in the area of Women’s Health and Hydrotherapy.

Her key areas of expertise include treatment and management of orthopaedic injuries, particularly land and water based rehabilitation. Jane has a fitness leader’s certificate which along with her Physiotherapy degree enables her to accurately prescribe and teach appropriate exercises specific to an individual’s level of functioning and disabilities.

Jane has 7 years experience providing care and assistance (ADL) medico- legal reports on claimants suffering disability following musculo - skeletal soft issue and orthopaedic injuries. She has also tutored in Physiology, Chemistry and Physics at the University of Sydney.

Stephanie Eather B. App. Sc (Physio), Member APA

Stephanie is a physiotherapist with over 20 years of experience. She has worked a variety of settings - hospital, rehabilitation and private practice with clients with a range of conditions and disabilities; including spinal and neurological injuries, cardiothoracic rehabilitation, orthopaedic and musculo-skeletal conditions and rehabilitation following medical and surgical conditions.

Stephanie’s area of expertise is in the treatment of orthopaedic and musculo-skeletal injuries, particularly of the spine. She continues to participate in professional education opportunities in order to maintain and improve her clinical assessment and treatment skills. Currently, Stephanie is working in the private sector in an outpatient clinic. This work specifically involves thorough assessment, diagnosis and appropriate treatment of both acute and chronic conditions. A large proportion of her work involves treatment, education and exercise prescription for clients with  musculo-skeletal conditions, including Work cover and Third party clients.

Stephanie has been conducting in home domestic care assessments for the past 18 months.

Cathy has been carrying out medico-legal assessments and reports in the area of domestic assistance and personal care for the past 3 years. She is an accomplished generalist Occupational Therapist with 17 years experience. Her extensive clinical experience allows her to accurately assess client’s capacities and needs in a range of areas including orthopaedic, soft tissue and brain injuries. In addition to hands on clinical experience Cathy has worked for 10 years in Occupational Rehabilitation ,including a role as Senior Rehabilitation Consultant; providing her with a comprehensive understanding of the Workers Compensation and Motor Accident schemes.

Cathy worked for several years in a hospital setting in both Clinical and Management positions; treating clients with acute orthopaedic and medical conditions, long term rehabilitation following brain injury or severe orthopaedic trauma, and independent living in the general community. She has ten years experience in Occupational Rehabilitation in both private and public sectors, where she developed Return to Work Plans for injured workers as well as assisted non compensable clients with injuries , disabilities or health conditions identify and secure suitable employment.

Cathy currently works part time in a public hospital setting being responsible for the thorough assessment of the needs and abilities of patients presenting to the emergency department and the prompt implementation of appropriate services for these patients.

Cathy regularly participates in Continuing Education to ensure her knowledge and skill are up to date and line with best practice principles.

Catherine Pritchard  B Sc. (Occupational Therapy) CHT

Catherine’s specialty is in hand and upper limb therapy. Catherine is one of a handful of Certified Hand Therapists practicing in Australia. Catherine completed a Hand Therapy Fellowship at the Philadelphia Hand Centre in 2006 and has worked in acute inpatient and private practice settings before and since completing her fellowship. Catherine currently works as a Hand Therapist in two private practices in the Sydney area.

Catherine also has expertise in Spinal cord and Orthopaedic injury rehabilitation following extensive clinical experience working in a variety of acute inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation settings both in Australia and overseas. She has been a guest speaker at conferences and clinical teacher.

Ross Girdler BAppSc MRehabCouns GradDipPsych MASRC

Ross is a Rehabilitation Counsellor whose expertise lies in his ability to assess a claimant's residual earning capacity after injury, and compare that with an assessment of the person's likely achievements were it not for the injury.  He has conducted over 800 medico-legal vocational assessments and has presented the resultant reports as expert witness testimony for the District and Supreme Courts of NSW and the County Court of Victoria.  He has provided other professionals with an understanding of what is required to achieve effective assessments through the delivery of seminar presentations at the invitation of the NSW College of Law and through the Australian Society of Rehabilitation Counsellors.

Ross' expertise has been gained through 15 years of providing rehabilitation services to people injured at work and in motor vehicle accidents.  This experience has enabled Ross to develop a thorough appreciation of how various impairments affect a person's ability to work in specific occupations, and in how injuries affect employability in differing labour markets.  He is able to give expert conclusions regarding a person's ability to undergo retraining or otherwise develop their career post-injury.  Ross' reports can be formatted to individual requirements and are always prepared in consideration of Makita vs. Sprowles, and the rules and codes of conduct of the relevant court.

Robyn has over 25 years clinical experience in physiotherapy spanning work in a military hospital to running her own successful physiotherapy practice.

Her experience includes the treatment and management of a wide range of orthopaedic and musculo-skeletal conditions and injuries of all age groups. Special areas of interest for Robyn include assessment and treatment of spinal conditions and sacro-iliac joint dysfunction. 

Robyn’s private practice experience included delivering ergonomic presentations at factory ‘shop floor’ level on safer approaches to physical work activities aimed at reducing preventable injury in the work place. To this extent she has hands-on experience of the link between human anatomy and work-place injury, and the anatomical determinants of injury causation and injury recovery.

Robyn currently works in an outpatient clinic in the private sector. Her work involves the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, education and exercise prescription for clients with both chronic and acute musculo-skeletal conditions and includes rehabilitation following orthopaedic surgery.Robyn has successfully completed a Post Graduate Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy 1 Exam in Spinal and Peripheral Manipulation.She is a member of the Australian Physiotherapy Association and Sports Physiotherapy Association and is committed to ongoing professional education to update her knowledge.

Lorna Delling

Admin/ Client services

Lorna is a welcome addition to our Cost of Care and In-home Care Directory team dealing with customer service and office administration. A legal secretary for over 20 years both in England and Australia Lorna has worked with high profile law firms such as Minter  Ellison and Pigott Stinson Ratner Thom. This experience has given her a firsthand appreciation of the demands our clients experience within a busy law practice.

Lorna is responsible for building and maintaining our database of service providers within the in-home care service industry and gathering rates information to be used within our Cost of Care Reports.  She is also responsible for bringing together our database of law firms within NSW. She is committed to meeting the high level of accuracy and service required by CDC Services to deliver our Cost of Care reports to our clients and to provide support to our in-home care service providers.