Presentation of Petition to Parliament: Delay implementation of any changes to the Sensitive Claims Scheme
Kyle MacDonald
Psychotherapist.

Over the course of the last six weeks nearly four thousand concerned professionals, clients and members of the general public have signed the online petition : Urgent Action: Delay implementation of any changes to the Sensitive Claims Scheme hosted at http://www.petitiononlinecom/ACC0909/ which asks ACC and the Minister for ACC the Hon. Dr. Nick Smith to delay implementation of the new treatment pathway until adequate consultation can take place.

Despite this ACC has continued to push for implementation of a new pathway which focuses on short treatment, limits treatment to sixteen sessions, and requires a mandatory diagnosis of a DSM-IV mental illness.

ACC claim to have allowed adequate time for consultation on this matter; they have not. ACC claim to have followed a recent research report “The Massey Guidelines” to develop best practice treatment; they have not.

Clients will still be required to see more than one treatment provider before treatment is approved unless they see an “appropriately trained clinician” which excludes counsellors, social workers and many psychotherapists; professions that have competently provided treatment to this vulnerable client group for many years.

Tomorrow, Tuesday the 27th of October a rally has been organized on the Parliamentary Forecourt at Parliament Buildings to present the Hon. Dr. Nick Smith with the petition. The National government and ACC must be held to account.

Throughout this process the Minister has repeatedly said that this decision will be made “by clinicians, not politicians” yet the pathway is not supported by the professional bodies, or individual clinicians who provide this treatment, and this petition reflects that. We invite the Minister to hear what clinicians really think of this proposed change by ACC.

ENDS

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