Psychotherapists welcome review report

A press release from the NZAP by Kyle MacDonald

The New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists welcomes the Independent Review Panel´s report into the ACC´s failed new clinical pathway and its recommendations for changes.
"The report is clearly an indictment of both the intention and application of the change process ACC embarked on in October last year," says Kyle MacDonald, NZAP spokesperson. "It is validating for all clinicians and survivors that the review panel´s report echoes the concerns that we have had since the very first draft of this new pathway was released."
Most damning is the review panel´s view that "the Panel found no evidence of formal planning for implementation ... Evidence obtained from presentations and submissions was that implementation was poorly planned without adequate consideration of the impact on clients and the Pathway was introduced prematurely and precipitously." They further have grave concerns about the fact that ACC failed to follow rudimentary processes about change implementation required of State Services.
"The picture is one of grave incompetence, and New Zealanders deserve to now know how this was allowed to happen," says MacDonald.
Of most encouragement to clinicians and survivors will be the clear recommendation that ACC cease using the DSM-IV as the measure of a mental injury, and that the legal opinion obtained by the review panel states that ACC have "over-reached" in their interpretation of the law justifying this. Furthermore the review states that the higher level of proof of "causality" is not supported by the current common law.
"The key thing now is for ACC to quickly implement all the recommendations, and remove the unreasonable impediments to survivors wanting to access treatment. While some moves have been made in the right direction, we will wait and see how the actual implementation of these recommendations plays out over the net few months."