The Swamp Report: Denise Cosgrove

Showing posts with label Denise Cosgrove. Show all posts

05 September 2012

ACC caught providing misleading answers again

An article from the Dominion Post by Phil Kitchin

ACC has admitted providing misleading answers to questions about its spending of $450,000 on spin doctors since a mass privacy breach was revealed in March.
Initially, the corporation told The Dominion Post it had not employed any consultant public relations staff since the breach, but had an agreement with consultants Acumen Republic dating back to 2009. It said it had paid Acumen $121,000 since July last year but, when more questions were asked, ACC said it “should have said” Acumen had actually lost its contract in an open tender last year.
A spokeswoman apologised for “any confusion”. Acumen had in fact been brought in and paid $103,000 since March for media and “issues management” advice.
ACC also confirmed it had paid another PR firm, Senate SJH, $347,000 for media and recruitment advice since March.
It is the second time this year that ACC has been caught providing misleading answers to questions from Fairfax reporters. In April, general manager of claims management Denise Cosgrove admitted providing what she said were “cute” answers on the corporation gagging its vocational rehabilitation providers from criticising its new service.
She initially said there were no gagging clauses in its contracts with those providers, but later admitted there were four such clauses in other documents that providers had to sign.
She said her first answer, though technically correct, was “cute".

18 July 2012

ACC sex-abuse claims down by 36%

A news report from Radio New Zealand

An independent review of ACC, the second in 18 months, has found the number of sex-abuse claims lodged has fallen by 36% since 2008.
The review also found that only 3.6% of sensitive claims were accepted in 2011, down from 60% in 2008, when National took office. The review says ACC needs to be sure the assessment process is not deterring people from seeking help.
Lawyer John Miller, who specialises in ACC cases, says the fall in claims suggests people have lost confidence in the system.
ACC has acknowledged it has more work to do to implement the recommendations of a review into its handling of sensitive claims. Claims management general manager Denise Cosgrove acknowledges significant change is needed at the corporation and it is working hard towards that. She said an 18-month action plan has been agreed on to show what work is needed and what has been implemented.

17 July 2012

Monitoring report on sensitive claims management released

A press release by ACC

The second independent monitoring report of ACC’s management of sensitive claims, prepared for the ACC Board by Dr Barbara Disley, was released publicly today.
The report follows an interim monitoring report released in May 2011, and assesses the progress ACC has made implementing recommendations made by an independent panel, which reviewed ACC’s sensitive claims clinical pathway in 2010.
The recommendations covered a wide range of actions, from improving communications with clients, to working closely with sector representatives to refine ACC’s systems and processes, and examining ways to ensure treatment and assessment is carried out by a well qualified, fit-for-purpose workforce.
Dr Disley found ACC has made excellent progress implementing one recommendation and good progress on another six recommendations. Some progress was noted on five recommendations, with progress on one recommendation assessed as “limited”. The final recommendation, involving establishing a process to independently monitor progress, was assessed as having been “achieved”.
Dr Disley sought in-depth input from ACC to compile the report, which was also informed by:
• an online survey of clients and service providers
• interviews with service providers and representatives of professional bodies
• feedback from the Department of Child, Youth and Family.

Summing up the findings of the report, Dr Disley said “In the 18 months since the initial, independent review, ACC has made significant changes to the way it deals with sensitive claims, and these changes have seen considerable progress achieved in many areas.
“There’s still work to be done in some areas, and my report contains recommendations on how ACC can continue to make progress towards fully implementing the original recommendations made by the independent review panel.”
ACC’s General Manager of Claims Management, Denise Cosgrove, says the report provides a fair assessment of progress to date.
“We’ve worked hard to make many different types of changes aimed at improving services for our clients. I’m pleased that the report recognises the progress we’ve made in many areas. We acknowledge there’s still work to be done, but we’re committed to full implementation of the recommendations and keeping the momentum going by making ongoing improvements, and we’ll be seeking the right support to help us do that.”
Ms Cosgrove added that “a key focus for ACC moving forward is our commitment to client care and safety.”
A copy of the final report can be found here: Monitoring Report on the Implementation of the Recommendations from the Independent Panel’s Review of the ACC’s Sensitive Claims Clinical Pathway: 18 Months Follow up (PDF 525K) [Scoop copy: wpc112862.pdf]

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1207/S00195/monitoring-report-on-sensitive-claims-management-released.htm

02 July 2012

Comments 'embarrassing' for ACC

An article from the Otago Daily Times by John Gibb

Recent comments by an ACC senior manager about sharply reducing long-term claimant numbers have been "very embarrassing" for the commission, a Dunedin lawyer says.
Peter Sara said the ACC had clearly not expected comments by ACC general manager Denise Cosgrove at an Institute of Actuaries of Australia conference in Brisbane would later be made widely available via internet and podcast.
Ms Cosgrove said ACC had faced major financial and other challenges but had since cut claims costs by $3.2 billion. ACC managers had "taken the low-hanging fruit", but now faced more complex claims which made rehabilitation and return to work "a bit harder", the conference transcript said. There had been targets for "actuarial release" and "stellar results", but there had also been adverse media coverage of issues such as "sensitive claims", involving sexual abuse, and elective surgery, she said. ACC administrators had done the right things but had "moved too fast and didn't take the sectors with us", the transcript said.
Mr Sara said he was a "very strong supporter" of ACC but was "appalled" by Ms Cosgrove's comment about "low-hanging fruit", made at the conference last November.
Dunedin ACC campaigners say the comments initially "flew under the radar" but have sparked parliamentary debate and media coverage since Green Party ACC spokesman Kevin Hague tabled in Parliament last month a transcript.
Mr Sara said many vulnerable, injured people had been viewed as "ripe for the picking" and had been removed from ACC scheme coverage in recent years, but in many cases rehabilitation had not been achieved. ACC's practices needed an "extreme makeover" if it was to recapture the public trust which had been lost, he said.
Darryl Frank, a Pricewaterhouse Coopers actuary, who has worked closely with ACC, told the conference there was "constant tension between the two sides of politics" in New Zealand and "differences in political ideologies". Labour governments were "typically increasing access to benefits" but this had been "to some degree reversed" by the National-led Government since 2009, given concerns about ACC finances, he said.
Dr Denise Powell, the president of Acclaim Otago, an ACC claimant support group, said a mask had slipped and the "incredibly blatant" truth had been revealed about the removal of large numbers of long-term claimants from ACC coverage in order to meet political objectives. She had listened to the conference on a podcast, and recalled "being quite shocked, sitting there with my mouth open".
Approached for comment, ACC lead media adviser Stephanie Melville said the term "low-hanging fruit" had been "used to describe the first raft of improvements"- that is "initiatives to yield rapid positive results to systems and process".
"It does not refer to individual clients or any attempt to stop people making claims."
No client was denied ACC help "before they're ready for vocational independence", she said.

25 June 2012

ACC's quota deal with Smith revealed

An article from the Dominion Post by Phil Kitchin

ACC'S policy of ridding itself of thousands of long-term clients is laid bare in agreements the corporation signed with the Government revealing that a far tougher quota system was adopted two years ago.
Senior ACC managers have since spoken of their success at cutting long-term clients from the books at a conference in Australia, saying the "low-hanging fruit" was gone but the job would get harder.
General manager of claims management Denise Cosgrove told the actuary conference in Brisbane in November that ACC has now shifted its focus to high-cost claims and had "an absolute strategy" but was keeping it secret.
"But that's what we are developing this year. The dollar amount we can achieve in savings from the long-term tail service, so that's how we can drive some of these improvements," she said.
"You might sit there and say, 'Well yeah, sure, that's just all the low-hanging fruit and the easy gains. How are you going to sustain that momentum?' And I get that constant message from the board every day."
In June 2010, then ACC minister Nick Smith and outgoing ACC chairman John Judge signed a three-year agreement that stated as a "priority" that the corporation would get rid of 1150 long-term clients a year. It had 13,157 such clients when the service and purchase agreement was signed. For the first year of the agreement, ACC beat its target by "exiting" 1542 clients. The agreement was then amended, and last year aimed to reduce long-term client numbers by 406. ACC again beat that figure by cutting 843.
Ms Cosgrove told the group of insurers and actuaries in Brisbane that ACC had "an absolute strategy ... and we're not reporting it as a public measure yet". Its focus was now on high-cost claims because the "actuarial release" would be stronger.
The policy has drawn criticism from ACC clients, advocates and politicians.
Greens ACC spokesman Kevin Hague said the agreements showed ACC's board was under pressure to "literally remove thousands of claimants from the corporation".
The pressure from Dr Smith led to the board pressuring frontline staff and managers into adopting "highly unacceptable practices" such as bonus payments for getting clients off its lists, he said.
ACC had not yet signed an agreement with current ACC Minister Judith Collins, which would give her an opportunity to show her stated intent to "drive a culture change in ACC to restore public trust and confidence" in it.
"If, instead, the agreement she signs looks more or less the same as those of her predecessor, then her words will be seen as hollow," Mr Hague said.
An ACC spokeswoman said the long-term claims pool had decreased in recent years because there were fewer claims entering it and more leaving it.

17 June 2012

ACC 'cold blooded' to victims

An article from the Sunday Star Times by Danya Levy

A survey around sensitive claims and the treatment of sexual abuse victims has raised more questions about the Accident Compensation Corporation.
It comes as a senior manager's comments are being interpreted as confirming there was pressure from the board on staff to dump sex abuse claimants.
Allegations ACC had turned from rehabilitating clients to saving money have seen three board members, including chairman John Judge, and chief executive Ralph Stewart, quit.
Now, the man behind the survey of 146 health professionals and 72 abuse victims, psychotherapist and blogger Kyle MacDonald, says there has been a "cold-blooded" directive from the board to look after the "bottom-line" regardless of the cost to victims.
In 2009 ACC reinterpreted the rules around sensitive claims so a diagnosed psychiatric illness was required to determine mental harm. That left many people ineligible for help, and led to a public outcry.
A year later former ACC Minister Nick Smith urged the corporation to adopt recommendations from a review, but MacDonald says the survey shows only two have been adopted, five have not been, four have returned mixed results, and another four were not being measured. Now a transcript of a presentation by claims general manager Denise Cosgrove last November acknowledges the sensitive claims changes "didn't work so well", and appears to confirm ACC was removing "low-hanging fruit and easy gains" from the scheme.
"I get that constant message from the board every day," he said.
Green Party ACC spokesman Kevin Hague said the survey showed there was "wilful resistance" to the call to improve, and, because there was a "culture of disentitlement", the board should be replaced. Labour's Andrew Little said: "They will say it is legitimate to minimise costs, but the whole basis of ACC is treatment, compensation for the bulk of your losses and rehabilitation."
An ACC spokesman said MacDonald was only one of those giving feedback and there would be no comment until a final report, which was "imminent", but Cosgrove's comments referred to system improvements, not claimants.
MacDonald dismissed that. "It's hard to interpret in any other way than referring to specific cases and claims."
He said the issue for claimants was ACC refusing to accept the advice of clinicians working with victims, and insisting they be interviewed by its own assessors. "You are required to report intimate and distressing detail to a complete stranger", which had an "incredibly detrimental effect".
"There has been a very intentional aim of getting the longest and most expensive claimants out. It's cold-blooded. What has become clear is that ACC is being directed from ministerial and board level to focus on the bottom line and that has been at the expense of sensitive claimants."
A spokeswoman for ACC Minister Judith Collins said board comments were a matter for the board but the minister expected ACC to check claims veracity carefully and to treat all professionally.

SURVEY

Counsellors
40.4 per cent say ACC has done "very little" to protect client safety
37.8 per cent say ACC has done "very little" to protect client therapeutic relationship
42.5 per cent say ACC has done "very little" to implement changes

Claimants
29.3 per cent say ACC has "not at all" protected their safety
38.1 per cent say ACC has "not at all" protected their therapeutic relationship
50.6 per cent say ACC has "not at all" implemented changes

12 June 2012

Opportunity for ACC to return to its principles

A press release from the Green Party by Kevin Hague

The Green Party welcomes the appointment of a new ACC chair and looks forward to them steering ACC back to its original role as the provider of full and fair compensation and rehabilitation to injured New Zealanders.
The Government today appointed Paula Rebstock as interim chair and announced John Judge had resigned as of June 30.
“Ms Rebstock and any other chair who is appointed, is faced with a fantastic opportunity to return ACC to the five “Woodhouse” principles it was founded on in 1967,” Green Party ACC spokesman Kevin Hague said today. These were:

• Community responsibility
• Comprehensive entitlement
• Complete rehabilitation
• Real compensation
• Administrative efficiency.

“Under its current board, ACC has turned away from those principles to ones more commonly seen in private sector insurance companies where the focus is on getting rid of long term, expensive clients,” Mr Hague said,
“When ACC was established in 1974 New Zealanders agreed to trade their right to sue over injuries and accidents, for the guarantee they’d be compensated and rehabilitated through a model that provided cover for all, regardless of fault or cause of injury.
“New Zealanders only agreed to give away that right because of the promise they would be properly compensated and cared for.
“Today, ACC Minister Judith Collins told Parliament she was expecting a culture change at ACC and for it to help injured kiwis back to work.
“The Green Party will hold the Minister to those assurances. We look forward to ACC returning to the Woodhouse principals and offering the level of care injured and vulnerable New Zealanders need and should expect from now on,” Mr Hague said.

Transcript of discussion involving Denise Cosgrove, ACC GM Claims Management: http://www.greens.org.nz/sites/default/files/acc_transcript_-_cosgrove_and_frank.pdf

ACC issues paper discussing management of long term clients: http://www.greens.org.nz/sites/default/files/acc_executive_leadership_team_issues_paper.pdf

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1206/S00142/opportunity-for-acc-to-return-to-its-principles.htm

31 May 2012

Sensitive claims sent to branch offices - ACC

An article from the New Zealand Herald by Adam Bennett

Hundreds of sensitive ACC claims - those related to rape and other sexual abuse - have been transferred out of the corporation's Sensitive Claims Unit to case managers in regional branch offices, the corporation has said.
Claimant advocacy groups are shocked by the move they say was made without consultation and in some cases without fully informing claimants.
Claims related to rape and sexual abuse are managed by the standalone Wellington based Sensitive Claims Unit (SCU) because of their "highly personal nature", ACC says.
The corporation has been under fire since claimant Bronwyn Pullar revealed a privacy breach in which the ACC sent her a file identifying sensitive claimants. The breach also raised concerns that sensitive claims information was being shared with ACC staff outside the SCU.
But after weeks of rumours that some sensitive claims were being handled outside the unit, ACC claims management general manager Denise Cosgrove said 12 case managers from elsewhere in the corporation had been seconded to the SCU.
"These seconded staff were located throughout New Zealand, near to the approximately 250 clients with long-term sensitive claims they were looking after."
The case managers are in 12 regional offices and had been dealing with sensitive claims since last November.
Ms Cosgrove said all the seconded staff underwent intensive training in sensitive claims management, including training around preserving client privacy.
"In addition, access protocols were agreed for claims and no paper files were transferred," she said.
Ms Cosgrove said care was taken to ensure clients were properly advised of the change.
But ACC claimant advocates Denise Powell, of Acclaim Otago, and Auckland-based Kyle MacDonald, said they only became aware of the move after one claimant learned by accident her new case manager was based in a branch office.
"That was quite upsetting for her."
Ms Powell understood affected claimants were advised they had new case managers, "but ACC didn't necessarily state that their case manager was no longer based in Wellington".
"My understanding was the SCU was set up to be a stand-alone unit and was specifically isolated from the mainstream of ACC in order to ensure the utmost protection of those people's information and identity," she said.
Mr MacDonald, who is a member of the Sensitive Claims Advisory Group, which ACC regularly meets with, said the corporation never raised the change with his organisation. "The reality is 250 claimants are now being managed outside of the Sensitive Claims Unit in regional branches by case managers who are not sensitive claims specialists."

27 March 2012

ACC must protect data, lawyer says

An article from the Otago Daily Times by By John Gibb

Dunedin lawyer Peter Sara is urging a "culture change" over privacy issues at the ACC after the names of several hundred Otago claimants were included in an email mistakenly sent to Auckland resident Bronwyn Pullar late last year.
Acclaim Otago, a group supporting Otago ACC claimants, has written to Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff voicing its concern about wider privacy practices at ACC and offering to make some input during the commissioner's inquiry into privacy issues at ACC. ACC needed to tighten up its privacy practices, so that all electronic data involving clients was encrypted and password-protected, Acclaim Otago president Denise Powell said recently.
ACC has apologised for the email privacy breach, which involved the names of 6725 ACC claimants throughout the country, including 137 people with "sensitive" claims, involving rape and sexual abuse. The emailed information involves a spreadsheet listing the names of ACC clients and client reference numbers, relating to claims going through the Disputes Resolution Services Ltd review process, apparently between July 1, 2010 and June 30 last year. The spreadsheet had earlier been sent internally to ACC branch managers throughout the country.
It is understood more than 700 Otago reviews were considered in that 2010-11 period, and it is believed at least 400 Otago people were named in the list. The ODT has made an Official Information Act request to ACC to obtain the exact number of Otago people involved. A much smaller group of "sensitive" Otago claimants were also named.
Mr Sara, who has been dealing with ACC cases for more than 30 years, said ACC needed to take concrete action to prevent such privacy breaches being repeated. In recent years, when ACC client file material was sent to him at his request, some information about other clients had been wrongly included about six times a year. He believed that up to 200 of his own clients' review claims could have been referred to on the Auckland email list.
An ACC spokeswoman noted that ACC had provided an interim report to ACC Minister Judith Collins. The Privacy Commissioner and ACC were working together to develop terms of reference for a substantive review of both the incident and ACC's privacy operating practices, the spokeswoman said.
Dr Powell has recently received her own letter of apology, signed by Denise Cosgrove, ACC general manager, claims management. Ms Cosgrove said ACC took the collection and storage of its clients' information "very seriously", and apologised for Dr Powell's name being accidentally disclosed in the Auckland email.

25 June 2011

Help is there for sexual abuse victims

An article from the Manawatu Standard by Stacey Kirk

Changes to the way ACC manages the claims of sexual abuse sufferers "are an encouraging step", says a Palmerston North sexual abuse counsellor. Counsellor Paulette Berryman, who sits on the Sensitive Claims Advisory Group (SCAG), said she "couldn't be more pleased" with rule changes making it easier for sexual abuse victims to gain support, but she was concerned that abuse victims were not aware of the help to which they were now entitled.
ACC tightened up the process for accessing counselling in October 2009, which triggered protest marches, intense lobbying and media scrutiny.
A report was ordered six months ago which recommended changes including a rule that new claimants and people waiting for a decision on whether they qualify for treatment could now get 16 hours' "support". Only some of the recommendations have been implemented, with the rest being carried out over the next year.
An independent report for the ACC board carried out last month found ACC was making "good progress" in changing the way it manages sensitive claims. Dr Barbara Disley, who also chaired the review in 2010, said the report found ACC had done a good job prioritising the more important tasks.
Mrs Berryman said it felt like the hard work of her and her colleagues across the country had paid off. She said she used to receive four or five inquiries a week about sexual abuse counselling, but those numbers rapidly dropped when claimants found their requests for counselling were being denied. Now, they are entitled to up 16 free sessions.
But Mrs Berryman said that she wasn't sure the information had filtered through to abuse victims. She is hoping to get the message out that help is out there for sexual abuse victims "and don't be afraid to ask".
ACC claims management general manager Denise Cosgrove said ACC recognised the importance of providing support to sexual abuse victims. "We recognise we have some way to go before delivering all the recommended changes but we were pleased to note Dr Disley's acknowledgement of our progress," she said.

26 May 2011

Encouraging progress on ACC sensitive claims

A press release from ACC

An independent report for the ACC Board has found that ACC is making good progress implementing changes to its management of sensitive claims.
Prepared by Dr Barbara Disley, who chaired a review of ACC sensitive claims in 2010, the report finds that ACC has made progress in a number of important areas and those are already delivering improved services to clients.
ACC General Manager Denise Cosgrove said that, as a starting point, ACC had focused on four priority areas, which were:
• ensuring immediate access to support for clients, through the 16 hours of support sessions
• improving working relationships with people working in the sexual abuse field
• developing specific services for children and Maori clients
• putting in place a comprehensive work plan for the broader changes that were agreed.
“We’ve worked really hard to implement changes that ensure our clients have fast access to effective support. These changes have also helped us strengthen positive relationships with clients and providers, and that will hold us in good stead for the future”, Ms Cosgrove said.
Report author, Dr Barbara Disley, said she was “satisfied with progress to date and had encouraged ACC to continue working closely with clients and providers to ensure the end-to-end process meets client needs, is timely and of a high quality. I will be reviewing progress again in 12 months and would expect to see all of the initial review’s recommendations being implemented by that time”.
The report notes that there has not yet been enough time to implement all of the review panel’s recommendations, but that ACC has done a good job prioritising the most important tasks first.
“The report does find some areas that still require attention and urges ACC to continue working with sector groups on those. We intend to do so”, Ms Cosgrove said.
A copy of the report can be found at acc.co.nz/news .

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1105/S00427/encouraging-progress-on-acc-sensitive-claims.htm

15 April 2011

ACC doctor sues sex abuse victim

An article from the New Zealand Herald by Claire Trevett

A senior ACC sensitive claims clinician is suing a sexual abuse claimant for $250,000 for defamation over a satirical blog post she wrote about him.
ACC Minister Nick Smith last night asked for an urgent report on the matter after the legal action taken by ACC senior medical adviser Peter Jansen was raised in Parliament by Labour MP Carmel Sepuloni.
The woman wrote a blog about Dr Jansen in November last year, a few months after the conclusion of an independent review into ACC's handling of sensitive claims such as sexual abuse counselling.
Dr Jansen was the lead clinician in the sensitive claims unit and the blog post was a mock ACC assessment of Dr Jansen.
The woman could not be contacted yesterday, but her blog said the post in question was satirical and only about 15 people followed her blog. She also questioned how Dr Jansen obtained her address to serve legal papers, which she said was confidential because of child protection issues.
She had applied to restart counselling for sexual abuse in January 2009 and her claim was accepted.
However, seven months later the counselling had not yet been provided so she emailed Dr Jansen, who replied to say it was referred to the "media" department.
The next she heard was this week when his lawyer served the defamation suit on her.
"Here's another thought - maybe if ACC has got off their ass and given me the 'mental illness' treatment I was assessed for, then maybe, just maybe, this sort of s*** would not have happened."
In Parliament Ms Sepuloni asked if it was "fair treatment" for a senior medical adviser at ACC to sue a sexual abuse victim "for speaking her mind on a blog about the appalling treatment of sexual abuse victims under his watch?"
A spokesman for Dr Smith later said he had no knowledge of any legal action by Dr Jansen and was seeking an urgent report.
Ms Sepuloni had Dr Jansen's statement of claim to the High Court seeking $200,000 in general damages and $50,000 in aggravated damages.
It states that the post was "false and defamatory" and as a result Dr Jansen was "greatly injured in his professional and personal reputation, has been exposed and held up to ridicule and contempt and has been seriously injured in his reputation and character".
An accompanying letter from his lawyer said the woman was asked to remove the post in December 2010 but had not obliged.
Dr Jansen said he would not comment yesterday and referred the Herald to ACC's media team.
General manager claims management Denise Cosgrove said it was a private suit by Dr Hansen and ACC had no evidence to suggest he had used or accessed ACC information for it.
She said ACC could not identify the client from the posting but said there were processes in place to deal with complaints. "If they are a client then they would get the same treatment and service from ACC as any other client regardless of whether they blog or not."
Dr Jansen is also on the Health Quality and Safety Commission.
A Distinguished Fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners for his work in cultural competence, he is a past deputy chairman of Counties Manukau DHB, a board member of MidCentral Health and a director of Quality Health NZ.

10 February 2011

ACC digs a deeper hole

A post from frogblog by Kevin Hague

Financial Review of ACC today, so I subbed in for Gareth on the Transport and Industrial Relations Select Committee. Usual thing – we and Labour make the running and when things get too hot the Government members take a turn with patsy questions.
ACC fronted with Chair, John Judge, by videoconference and CEO Jan White fronting most questions, assisted by Denise Cosgrove, who seems to mostly front the reduction in ACC coverage we have seen.
I started by drawing attention to ACC’s claim that they have had to make the “hard decision” to “stick more closely to the legislation” on who gets covered. Were they, I asked, meaning that previously, when more New Zealanders had cover, they got that illegally?

Read the rest of this post here.

http://blog.greens.org.nz/2011/02/10/acc-digs-a-deeper-hole/

15 September 2010

The sensitive claims pathway for Maori

Erina Smith from Te Karere talks to counsellor Ripeka August-Tampeau and ACC's Denise Cosgrove

Maori healthworkers are overjoyed at the new recommendations that have been put to ACC regarding their sensitive claims pathway for sexual abuse victims. There is a Maori pathway to heal Maori victims of sexual abuse.
Ripeka August-Tampaeu: "The changes that we recommended have finally been addressed and now we're goign to get on and do something about it." This is a result of an independent review of the changes ACC made to their sensitive claims pathway for sexual abuse victims in order for them to receive help. "The recommendation that we put in was to have a separate pathway for Maori or an alternative pathway for Maori to have and out of that look at tamariki and rangatahi as well. So we're looking at starting that as soon as possible."
Te Karere followed Ripeka August and other Maori sexual abuse workers in July when they put forward their submissions to the independent review panel. Their work has paid off. "We'll be bringing together a group of rangatira Maori within the field of sexual assault and rangatira Maori within te ao Maori to come together and develop a pathway."
ACC agree that action is required in some areas. Denise Cosgrove: "So we've done some really good work already with the sector on understanding their issues and concerns with the pathway and how we can make that and facilitate that process better for our clients." Despite the challenges of this job, the positive thing is that Maori now have the power to be able to build their own pathway to heal their own people.

12 September 2010

Response from Denise Cosgrove

A letter to the editor of the Sunday Star Times

Your story "Academic with link to sex abusers silent on role in drafting ACC rules" (News, August 29) was misleading in some important respects. The article suggests that Dr Felicity Goodyear-Smith was involved with the development of the ACC clinical pathway for sexual abuse claims. She was not. Goodyear-Smith had no role in the development of the pathway. The report she and two other researchers produced five years ago was an inconclusive study which compared treatment rates provided to ACC sexual abuse clients by psychologists, psychiatrists and counsellors. So it was not relevant to the development of the pathway.
Yes, one of their recommendations was that there should be diagnosis before treatment, using an assessment tool called DSM-IV. Yes, that is what we've been doing. But we didn't do so because it was in their report. Far from it. We did it because it was internationally seen as best practice, because the courts in NZ had endorsed DSM-IV as an appropriate method and because no suitable alternative options have been put forward. Goodyear-Smith had no part in any of that.
The article also failed to mention the work that ACC is currently doing with the Sensitive Claims Advisory Group and others to ensure that, moving forward, we continue to provide the most appropriate services for our clients.
Denise Cosgrove
General manager, claims management ACC

Copyright Fairfax New Zealand Ltd 2010
http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/sunday-star-times-wellington-new-zealand/mi_8185/is_20100912/sexual-abuse/ai_n55232011/

09 September 2010

Opposition MPs critical over ACC issue

A news report on Voxy from NZPA

Opposition MPs have criticised ACC Minister Nick Smith over his response to a report into the corporation's handling of sexual abuse claims, but the report has mainly laid blame with ACC.
Dr Smith initiated a review when concerns were raised about the difficulties victims faced in getting adequate treatment.
Released today, the report set out 14 recommendations, saying it discovered a "precipitous drop" in sensitive claims when it compared the first three months of 2009 with the first three months of this year.
A review panel, headed by Dr Barbara Disley, said ACC had changed the systems it used with too much haste and did not adequately consult relevant government and non-government organisations, or its own Sensitive Claims Advisory Group.
Dr Smith said he acknowledged that managing sensitive claims was challenging, but that he was not satisfied with ACC's handling of the issue. "There are important lessons for ACC to learn from this report.
"As recommended, I will be implementing an independent monitoring group to ensure ACC delivers on the report's recommendations," he said.
ACC said today the changes it made were about targeting services to those covered by its legislation and to improve the outcomes those people achieved. "We still believe those are reasonable goals."
General manager of claims management Denise Cosgrove said the changes were never about saving money -- something that has been suggested by some opposition MPs. "Year on year, our total expenditure in this area has hardly fallen and it is only a tiny part of ACC's total expenditure," she said. "However, it became clear that the changes we had introduced had excluded more people than we expected and, more importantly, there was little else available for them outside of ACC."
Ms Cosgrove said the review panel's report raised serious issues and ACC had already begun responding to them.
Labour Party victims rights spokeswoman Lynne Pillay accused Dr Smith of "buck passing" over the issue. "Nick Smith is apparently 'urging' ACC to take notice of a review of disastrous sexual abuse guidelines. That statement implies the minister is not responsible for ACC and the decisions it makes," she said.
Ms Pillay said guidelines introduced since National came to power were clearly done as a cost saving measure.
Green Party ACC spokesman Kevin Hague said Dr Smith's acknowledgement that problems were caused by changes made by ACC highlighted a need for an independent review of all changes made by ACC since National took office, so as to ensure accident victims were not being re-victimised.
Dr Smith said he was confident there would now be a system in place ensuring that sensitive claimants got the right services at the right time, and that it would be a significant improvement on what previously existed.

http://www.voxy.co.nz/politics/opposition-mps-critical-over-acc-issue/5/62561

ACC urged to adopt panel's recommendations

An article from the NZPA

ACC Minister Nick Smith says he isn't satisfied with the way the corporation is handling sexual abuse claims and a monitoring group will be set up to ensure it delivers on recommendations from an independent review panel.
Dr Smith initiated the review and the panel's report was released today, setting out 14 recommendations and saying it discovered a "precipitous drop" in sensitive claims when it compared the first three months of 2009 with the first three months of this year.
The panel, headed by Dr Barbara Disley, said ACC changed the system with too much haste and did not adequately consult relevant government and non-government organisations or its own Sensitive Claims Advisory Group.
ACC's general manager for claims, Denise Cosgrove, responded by saying problems had been previously acknowledged and were starting to be addressed. Ms Cosgrove said ACC had met the panel and discussed its findings. "We agree that action is required in some areas and believe the initiatives we have already put in place will go some way to addressing their concerns," she said. "But I have to emphasise that not all of the answers sit with ACC. We are just one of a number of agencies with responsibilities in this area."
Dr Smith said he was urging ACC to adopt the panel's recommendations. "While I acknowledge that managing sensitive claims is very challenging, I am not satisfied with ACC's handling of this issue," he said.
"There are important lessons for ACC to learn from this report. As recommended, I will be implementing an independent monitoring group to ensure ACC delivers on the report's recommendations."
Dr Disley said the panel heard from about 50 survivors of sexual abuse, 30 organisations representing psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists and counsellors, received nearly 180 written submissions and met all the relevant key government agencies. "Virtually everyone who made their views known to us told us of the major difficulties that have been caused," she said. "ACC has listened to our early concerns and made initial changes.
"As a result, survivors who make a new claim or have a claim already in the system now have 16 hours with a treatment provider available to them immediately."
The report said ACC's Sensitive Claims Pathway had aggravated the situation for sexual abuse survivors with particular needs, including Maori, children, adolescents, people with mental illness and those with addiction problems.
The panel's recommendations include:

ACC should move to improve access for survivors by introducing 16 hours of immediate therapeutic assessment and recovery support from a registered ACC treatment provider for new claimants, those currently under consideration, those who have had a claim declined and those who have chosen to withdraw their claim;

ACC should work with sector experts to agree additional standardised systems for determining mental injury - including those that would be appropriate for children and Maori;

All ACC communications with survivors of sexual abuse should be reviewed "as a matter of urgency" using survivor and expert provider assistance; and

ACC should work with sector and government agency representatives to develop and implement a comprehensive quality framework.

ACC responds to independent review of services

A press release from ACC

Last year’s changes to how ACC manages sexual abuse claims were designed to achieve two goals. They were to ensure we targeted our services to those people who were actually covered by our legislation and to improve the outcomes those people achieved. We still believe those are reasonable goals.
The changes were never about saving money. Year on year, our total expenditure in this area has hardly fallen and it is only a tiny part of ACC’s total expenditure.
However, it became clear that the changes we had introduced had excluded more people than we expected and, more importantly, there was little else available for them outside of ACC.
“ACC has already acknowledged this situation itself and had begun working with the sector to put in place whatever support we appropriately can. For example, we recently introduced up to 16 hours of support for people with a new sensitive claim, or who are awaiting an assessment”, said Denise Cosgrove, General Manager, Claims Management, ACC.
The report of the Independent Review Panel, released today by the Minister for ACC, raises a number of serious issues and ACC has already begun responding to them.
“ACC met with the Panel to discuss its findings. We agree that action is required in some areas, and believe the initiatives we have already put in place will go some way to addressing their concerns.”
“However, we continue to believe that, for those who are accepted by ACC, the current Pathway offers considerable advantages over the previous process. It ensures people get a proper assessment before treatment is undertaken, that there is a plan in place for that treatment and checks that progress is being made towards set objectives. This represents sound clinical practice.”
“Nonetheless, to ensure we make good decisions moving forward, we have begun regular meetings with the sexual abuse treatment sector, including clients, to make sure that they are involved and their voices are heard. The feedback we have received from them and the Independent Panel about our early work has been very positive”.
Ms Cosgrove said work was continuing on the development of separate processes for children and other groups such as Maori. A workforce development plan for counsellors, to ensure they provided a high-quality service, was also being developed. “But I have to emphasise that not all of the answers sit with ACC. We are just one of a number of agencies with responsibilities in this area. The Government’s response to the Report of the Sexual Violence Taskforce will provide a ‘whole of government’ approach, which is a sensible way to ensure that the right solutions are put in place”.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1009/S00101/acc-responds-to-independent-review-of-services.htm

20 August 2010

Counselling is back on cards for sex abuse victims

An article from the Whakatane Beacon

A Whakatane counsellor says changes to ACC that allow 16 hours of counselling for sexual abuse victims is a desperately-needed improvement – but there is much more to be done.
From Monday this week, people with a new ACC sensitive claim, or with a new claim already in the system awaiting a decision, will be able to access up to 16 hours of counselling to ensure their safety and wellbeing.
Debbie Magee from Insight Counselling Services in Whakatane said there was still some details that needed to be finalised, such as what would happen to people who had been declined for assistance or who had relapsed since leaving counselling. “It’s a lot better than it was but it still needs to go further,” she said. “At least it gives survivors something in the meantime.”
The Government introduced a new sensitive claims “pathway” in October last year, which required people to be diagnosed with a mental illness as a result of sexual abuse in order to receive funding for counselling. The pathway required a doctor’s opinion and assessments from a psychologist or psychiatrist to determine whether a person has suffered a mental injury.
A group of Whakatane counsellors expressed their concerns to Labour MPs in March this year that the new legislation would result in at-risk patients not receiving the help they needed. They were also concerned they would end up providing their services for free, because they couldn’t refuse to help people in need.
The 16 hours of counselling is intended to provide support to survivors of sexual abuse and information gained by counsellors during these sessions would be used within the assessment process.
ACC general manager claims manager Denise Cosgrove said ACC had listened to concerns expressed by several groups that more support was needed but they would still be continuing to develop the sensitive claims process. “We still believe these are reasonable goals but acknowledge that the introduction of the pathway exposed gaps in the services available to people who have suffered sexual abuse,” she said.
Mrs Magee said ultimately she would like to see these people get a minimum 30 hours of counselling sessions, but 16 hours was better than nothing. “It gives us time to work with the person to help them cope better,” she said. “Hopefully it will give some survivors more confidence in coming forward again.” At the very least, it would likely include counsellors in the assessment process again, which was heartening, she said.
Victims rights spokesperson for the Labour party, Lynne Pillay, said this action did not go far enough and the cost cutting exercise should be stopped immediately. “Since National introduced this scheme thousands of sexual abuse survivors have been denied counselling,” Ms Pillay said. “Up to 90 per cent of claims for sexual abuse counselling has either been declined or put into a holding pattern since October last year.”
A Whakatane woman known as Rachel, who has been fighting ACC for compensation and funding for counselling for sexual abuse and whose case is being followed by the Beacon, will be entitled to receive counselling sessions under these changes. However, she said the process was still lengthy and, because ACC would likely be inundated with new claims, the system would be further bogged down.
Her advocate David Wadsworth said providing the preliminary counselling sessions was really just putting a band-aid on a more serious problem, which was ACC processes and the lengthy wait that claimants constantly endured. He said it was taking ACC an extraordinary amount of time to process claims and make decisions on whether or not they would be accepted since this new sensitive pathways legislation was imposed. Rachel, for example, had been in the system for nine months so far, awaiting a decision on her claim, despite her GP recommending she receive prompt and brief intervention to enable her return to work.

13 August 2010

Abuse funding angers

An article from the Nelson Mail

The Accident Compensation Corporation's (ACC) handling of funding of support for survivors of sexual abuse has been disastrous, says Nelson psychotherapist Susan Hawthorne.
ACC has backed down on funding cuts and will provide extra support to survivors of sexual abuse. Last October, it cut counselling for victims of rape and other sexual abuse "sensitive claims", and funding was restricted to those with a diagnosed mental injury resulting from sexual abuse or assault, sparking protests from sexual abuse groups.
However, Ms Hawthorne was unimpressed with the way ACC had failed to communicate with those working in the area of sexual abuse treatment and said today they still did not know the details about who could put in claims.
Yesterday ACC announced that from next week people with a new ACC sensitive claim, or with a new claim already in the system but awaiting a decision, would be able to access up to 16 hours with a counsellor.
"ACC has listened to concerns expressed by several groups that more support is needed. Those groups included the public, the sexual abuse treatment sector, and the independent panel appointed by the minister to review the sensitive claims pathway," said ACC's general manager of claims management, Denise Cosgrove.
Ms Hawthorne said the changes had come about because an independent review panel had been appalled at what had happened. "If we had been asked what improvements could be made, we could have helped without causing the terrible harm for clients. The only way some of them have come through is because people involved in treatment have contributed hours of unpaid work."
Ms Cosgrove said the 16 hours counselling should be sufficient to meet the needs of many people, who would not need further ACC cover or ACC-funded treatment. The sessions would be used to gather information on a cover decision for those who did demonstrate signs of a possible mental injury arising from sexual abuse. Details are yet to be finalised, such as what special arrangements might be put in place for children and what support will be available for people who have suffered a relapse, or whose sensitive claims have previously been declined or reactivated.
ACC acknowledged that last year's cuts "exposed gaps in the services available to people who have suffered sexual abuse", Ms Cosgrove said. "We will continue to develop the sensitive claims process, and will take into account the views of the sector, the final report of the independent panel and the cross-government work being carried out after the recent findings of the Taskforce on Sexual Violence."
Rape Prevention Education director Kim McGregor said more than 16 hours was needed in many cases, but it was an "extremely welcome" move. Last year's cutback had affected survivors of sexual violence. Some would have become suicidal, harmed themselves or closed down and put up with whatever they were dealing with for another 10 years, she said.