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ACC fully accepts Health & Disability Commissioner’s report
Media statement: ACC fully accepts Health & Disability Commissioner’s report
ACC fully accepts Health & Disability Commissioner’s report
The Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) today released a report on an ACC-funded client who was living in unacceptable conditions and without necessary supports in 2012.
“ACC fully accepts the HDC’s findings. They are fair and thorough. ACC has apologised unreservedly to the client and his family for the poor standard of care he received from ACC and from our service providers at the time of the events covered in this report,” says Mike Tully, ACC Chief Customer Officer.
“When ACC was made aware of the client’s circumstances, steps were taken to rectify the situation. Today the client is living in a safe, secure and positive environment and ACC is funding ongoing, appropriate support.
“ACC conducted an investigation into how this situation occurred and, as a result, a significant programme of work was completed to improve the care given to our most high-needs clients.
“Additional training is now provided to staff who work with high-needs clients, particularly around services and monitoring. We have also undertaken formal, corrective actions with our providers, including a review of contract provisions for identifying, monitoring, and reporting on high-needs clients.
“ACC is confident the corrective actions taken since this situation came to light will prevent similar failings occurring in the future,” Mr Tully said.
List of Corrective Actions taken by
ACC
| ACC corrective action identified in our substantive response to HDC | Status |
| A review of clients in high-need situations. ACC reviewed all claims with clients in vulnerable situations. Part of this process included personal visits to identified high-needs clients to ensure services provided to them met ACC’s standards. | Complete |
| High-needs client training. Additional training was provided to ACC staff about their on-going obligations to identify and support any high-needs client whose claim they manage. | Complete |
| Services for supporting clients in high-need situations. ACC staff were provided guidance in respect of the services that are available to support high-needs clients including: Social Workers funded through ACC’s Training for Independence Programme; the Behaviour Support Service; and the Supported Living Programme. | Complete |
| Personal Property Protection Act. Refresher training was provided to frontline ACC staff in respect of applications under the PPPR Act. | Complete |
| Monitoring. ACC standardised the management of serious injury clients to include compulsory 90-day planning. ACC has also implemented a new rehabilitation tracking tool to provide case owners with a clear view of client risk and pathways for planning interventions, timeframes and outcomes. | Complete |
| Formal corrective action with providers. ACC issued a breach of contract notice and established a formal improvement plan for both providers involved in the client’s care. | Complete |
| Community Service Providers. ACC wrote to its Community Services contractors to emphasise the need to ensure that their staff follow the proper protocols to ensure their safety when supporting high-needs clients in the community. | Complete |
| Review
of contracting provisions. ACC formally reminded
providers of their contracted roles and responsibilities in
identifying, reporting, and managing high-needs clients, or
any client at risk of harm. A contract update for high-needs client policies is planned as part of a review of ACC’s Standard Terms and Conditions (STCs), which will be implemented in the first quarter of 2018. Modifying the STCs rather than the Home and Community Support Services (HCSS) contract means that all contracted suppliers of services to ACC must meet this requirement, not solely HCSS suppliers. Proposed STC changes require consultation with suppliers prior to making prior to making changes; consultation is planned for late 2017. |
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