Lifting the Lid on Social Rehabilitation
Access Support Services is concerned about what appears to be a culture within ACC that allows staff managing claims to affect the outcome of assessments and, ultimately, the decisions ACC makes related to social rehabilitation e.g. home help, attendant care, modifications to the home and transport for independence etc.
“I have received documented evidence that, in my view, shows ACC staff conspiring to prevent certain recommendations from being made when assessing an Auckland client’s needs” says Mr Wadsworth, head of Access Support Services.
The claimant, who we will call Debbie to protect her identity, suffered a significant ankle injury in 2003, resulting in permanent impairment. The original surgery was unsuccessful and Debbie had ongoing difficulty with driving her car and going about her daily living, including showering, accessing the bath, using the kitchen safely and doing laundry.
Nine years of suffering 'exacerbated by ACC'
A badly injured Aucklander whose lower left leg was amputated later found out that accident compensation officials wanted to influence independent rehabilitation assessments to limit the help she was given.
Diane Smith, 53, said she had to battle the Accident Compensation Corporation and its occupational therapist assessors at virtually every step.
"It's disgusting. It's mind-blowing and depressing. There is no reason for people to be cruel, nasty and soul-destroying."
Falls in home costing $1.8B a year
People falling over at home cost the country $1.8 billion a year and the Government wants to do something about it.
ACC Minister Judith Collins says more than 100,000 working age people fall over and more than 10,000 of them are so seriously injured they can't continue in their jobs.
"Falls cost the country an estimated $1.8 billion in annual social and economic costs and they're happening to people at the most productive time of their lives - when they run households, support families and hold senior positions at work," she said.
Kiwis told of implant poison risk
About 500 Kiwis have been told their metal hip replacements may be poisoning them.
The "metal-on-metal" implants were withdrawn from the worldwide market in September 2010 after they recorded a higher than expected failure rate.
Tiny metal fragments were found to be breaking off and leaking into the blood, poisoning it.
Articles of Interest
- Lifting the Lid on Social Rehabilitation
- Nine years of suffering 'exacerbated by ACC'
- Falls in home costing $1.8B a year
- Kiwis told of implant poison risk
- 11,708 dog attacks on Kiwis last year: ACC
- Widows ripping off ACC benefits
- Father and son in ACC scam
- Mother accused of $128,000 ACC fraud
- Rough rugby tops ACC's sports injury list
- Trucky driven to despair
- Benefit cheats: The $22m rip-off
- Wisdom ensures there'll be no next time
- Schoolyard injuries cost ACC $18m
- Resolving Chronic Pain
- Summer street bashings cost ACC $2.8m
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