The Swamp Report

14 August 2013

ACC staffer faces inquiry after clients' records stolen

An article from the Press by Anna Turner

The personal details of dozens of Christchurch ACC claimants have been leaked after a staff member's home was burgled.
ACC confirmed yesterday that the home of a Christchurch ACC case manager was broken into on Saturday, August 3 and among the things taken was a notebook containing the details of 35 ACC clients. ACC general manager of claim management Sid Miller told The Press the case manager had kept a handwritten notebook of client details as an "aide-memoire" to help her while she was working out of Christchurch.
"She returned to Christchurch over the weekend and brought the notebook with her at her house," he said.
"Unfortunately, during that time her house was broken into and the notebook was taken. It is an unfortunate situation for a number of our clients."
The notebook contained details of the 35 people's claim numbers, details of their accidents, as well as more personal details such as dates of birth and bank account numbers.
ACC contacted every client that the case manager had dealt with this year, Miller said.
"There were 35 people we believe were in the book but we contacted all her clients [124] as a precaution in case any other details were in there."
Of the 124, ACC have spoken to 83.
Miller said a staff member keeping a notebook of details was not "at all in line with our policy and procedures". The case manager was not at work due to family circumstances, but when she returned would face a "full HR investigation".
One of the ACC clients, who did not want to be named, told The Press he was "horrified" his details had been leaked.
"It's got all of my information in there. My date of birth, my bank account number. Now, who knows who has it. This is a serious breach of privacy."
He did not understand why the case manager had the information at her home.
"It's a pretty major error."
The client said he was considering what legal action he could take.
Miller said ACC was "very apologetic" for the breach.
It is the latest in a long line of privacy breaches from ACC nationwide. Last year, the corporation accidentally sent out the details of at least 9000 claimants in what has been described as one of the worst breaches in New Zealand history. The details included personal information on nearly 250 clients from ACC's most secure unit - the sensitive claims unit. Full names, the nature of each claim and dispute, and individual claim numbers were among the information revealed. In 2010, ACC apologised after it admitted sending up to 2000 companies private information about workers' accidents that should have gone to other employers. The information included names, descriptions of accidents, injuries, treatment and ACC payments.

© 2013 Fairfax NZ News

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/9037801/ACC-staffer-faces-inquiry-after-clients-records-stolen

29 July 2013

Alarm over depression therapy cuts - corrected article

An article from the Herald on Sunday by Sally Webster

Funding for talk therapy is drying up just as increasing numbers of New Zealanders are feeling comfortable talking about their problems.
The country's biggest income protection insurer, Sovereign, says claims for depression have reached a crippling 40 per cent and the cost of counsellors it sends clients to "out of the goodness of our hearts" can't be sustained. It will recommend more clients do exercise and take medication.
Government departments have also reduced the counselling services they have offered for years. Free relationship counselling services offered by the Family Court are about to be axed; the Ministry of Social Development is tightening up on the extensive counselling it offers the mentally ill on the disability allowance. The ceiling on therapy sessions may be cut from 16 to as low as four.
Some of the cutbacks, particularly Sovereign's, have alarmed the Association of Psychotherapists' chair of public issues, Kyle MacDonald. He says they are being done simply to save money.
"We are up against the massively funded model of the drug companies who convince people that medication is the best treatment, despite evidence to the contrary for mild to moderate depression."
Sovereign's chief medical officer, John Mayhew, says it has decided that where antidepressants have been proven to work well, it is "efficacious" for them to be used.
"In the past we've had, say, a 50-year-old stockbroker with an income protection product who's become severely depressed.
"The first thing we'd do is get him seen by a psychiatrist, get a diagnosis and then start treatment. That might be a mixture of psychotherapy, medication and an exercise programme. But now we've decided a talk therapist isn't necessary for everyone.
"A guy whose wife has just left him might be depressed and struggling to cope but it doesn't mean he necessarily has to see a counsellor.
"Anti-depressants like SSRIs (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) are proven to work."
The Ministry of Justice is gutting its free relationship counselling. The Court Proceedings Reform Bill before Parliament will kill off the remaining three hours' free relationship counselling for couples. That was halved from six in 2012.
Justice Minister Judith Collins says the ministry has no idea of the outcomes of counselling sessions.
These will be replaced with six separation mediation sessions, free to 60 per cent of users who fall under the civil legal aid threshold. Those above it will pay about $780 + GST a couple, or $390 a person. Those talking separation will be advised to pay for their own counselling, though judges can still order it be paid for if things get as far as the Family Court.
The squeeze on therapy has angered comedian and Nutters Club founder Mike King, who has had well-documented battles with addiction and mental illness.
"The reason I had talk therapy was because I was overwhelmed with suicidal thoughts.
"As much as the whole therapy thing went against everything I stood for, I was faced with death as the only option - I had to try it for my family's sake.
"I can say from experience that talk therapy absolutely works. But few people can afford it.
"We don't need less talk therapy. We need to be working with the Government and insurance companies to find ways for more people to get affordable or free therapy."
MacDonald of the psychotherapists association says that at its most basic, the choice is coming down to the cost of a pill versus $120-plus for a session of talk therapy.
"People are given medication as the frontline treatment - usually SSRIs - after just 15 minutes of consultation," MacDonald says.
"It is often not an effective form of treatment but people are getting this as the only option.
"We must find the reasons people are depressed and this is what therapy is for, otherwise it is likely to recur."

Herald on Sunday wrong to claim ACC cutting counselling support

A press release from ACC

An incorrect claim was made in the article “Alarm over depression therapy cuts” that appeared in the Herald on Sunday on 28 July.
The article wrongly stated that “the ceiling on [ACC] therapy sessions may be cut from 16 to as low as four.”
ACC will not be reducing the 16 hours of counselling support available to people who make a claim for mental injury as a result of sexual abuse or sexual assault.
The sensitive claims service redesign currently underway is about ensuring all people with sensitive claims receive the services they need. It is not about reducing services.
Next month ACC will be running a number of stakeholder meetings to get input and feedback on the proposed new high-level service design. Later this year we will also conduct a nationwide roadshow to explain the new service design to sensitive claims providers.
Our media team has contacted the Herald on Sunday today to request a correction. ACC is concerned that current clients of sensitive claims services could be alarmed by the article, and we have asked a range of provider groups for their help in letting clients know the information is incorrect.

http://www.acc.co.nz/news/WPC118907

28 July 2013

Alarm over depression therapy cuts

An article from the Herald on Sunday by Sally Webster

Funding for talk therapy is drying up just as increasing numbers of New Zealanders are feeling comfortable talking about their problems.
The country's biggest income protection insurer, Sovereign, says claims for depression have reached a crippling 40 per cent and the cost of counsellors it sends clients to "out of the goodness of our hearts" can't be sustained. It will recommend more clients do exercise and take medication.
Government departments have also reduced the counselling services they have offered for years. Free relationship counselling services offered by the Family Court are about to be axed; the Ministry of Social Development is tightening up on the extensive counselling it offers the mentally ill on the disability allowance; and ACC is doing a major review of how it handles those who come to it with sexual abuse and assault trauma. The ceiling on therapy sessions may be cut from 16 to as low as four.
Some of the cutbacks, particularly Sovereign's, have alarmed the Association of Psychotherapists' chair of public issues, Kyle MacDonald. He says they are being done simply to save money.
"We are up against the massively funded model of the drug companies who convince people that medication is the best treatment, despite evidence to the contrary for mild to moderate depression."
Sovereign's chief medical officer, John Mayhew, says it has decided that where antidepressants have been proven to work well, it is "efficacious" for them to be used.
"In the past we've had, say, a 50-year-old stockbroker with an income protection product who's become severely depressed.
"The first thing we'd do is get him seen by a psychiatrist, get a diagnosis and then start treatment. That might be a mixture of psychotherapy, medication and an exercise programme. But now we've decided a talk therapist isn't necessary for everyone.
"A guy whose wife has just left him might be depressed and struggling to cope but it doesn't mean he necessarily has to see a counsellor.
"Anti-depressants like SSRIs (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) are proven to work."
The Ministry of Justice is gutting its free relationship counselling. The Court Proceedings Reform Bill before Parliament will kill off the remaining three hours' free relationship counselling for couples. That was halved from six in 2012.
Justice Minister Judith Collins says the ministry has no idea of the outcomes of counselling sessions. These will be replaced with six separation mediation sessions, free to 60 per cent of users who fall under the civil legal aid threshold. Those above it will pay about $780 + GST a couple, or $390 a person.
The squeeze on therapy has angered comedian and Nutters Club founder Mike King, who has had well-documented battles with addiction and mental illness.
"The reason I had talk therapy was because I was overwhelmed with suicidal thoughts.
"As much as the whole therapy thing went against everything I stood for, I was faced with death as the only option - I had to try it for my family's sake.
"I can say from experience that talk therapy absolutely works. But few people can afford it.
"We don't need less talk therapy. We need to be working with the Government and insurance companies to find ways for more people to get affordable or free therapy."
MacDonald of the psychotherapists association says that at its most basic, the choice is coming down to the cost of a pill versus $120-plus for a session of talk therapy.
"People are given medication as the frontline treatment - usually SSRIs - after just 15 minutes of consultation," MacDonald says.
"It is often not an effective form of treatment but people are getting this as the only option.
"We must find the reasons people are depressed and this is what therapy is for, otherwise it is likely to recur."

04 June 2013

ACC denied: Relationship not sexual abuse

An article from the Dominion Post by Shane Cowlishaw

A sexual abuse victim who entered into a relationship with her counsellor has been denied ACC cover because she was deemed fit to make appropriate sexual decisions.
The 37-year-old Wellington woman was refused cover for mental injury in 2010 after the corporation ruled that while the relationship had exacerbated her symptoms, it did not meet the criteria for a sexual-abuse event. A person is eligible for ACC cover for a mental injury when caused by an act performed by another person that amounts to an offence under the Crimes Act. The woman has a horrific history of sexual abuse and already has ACC cover for three separate claims relating to events when she was a child and during a later relationship.
After seeking assistance from a counsellor in 2005 for mental trauma relating to those events, a relationship developed during the sessions that led to the couple having sex. This continued for a year, with the male counsellor continuing to provide professional services while maintaining a sexual relationship. When the relationship ended, the distraught woman complained to the Health and Disability Commissioner and it is understood the counsellor is no longer practising.
After assessing the woman in 2010, a psychiatrist found the sexual relationship had contributed to her emotional distress and trauma.
"I am clear in my mind that she was inherently at risk and vulnerable to be psychologically traumatised and affected by a sexual relationship with a therapist."
However, the psychiatrist decided that the woman was able to function reasonably normally and her "capacity to understand the nature of sexual conduct" had not been impaired.
The woman appealed against the ACC decision, but in his decision Judge Martin Beattie disagreed and dismissed the case. There was no evidence the woman was a person of "significant impairment" at the time of the sexual relationship, meaning she had the ability to consent or refuse, he said.
Speaking to The Dominion Post, the woman - who cannot be named - said she was unhappy with the decision and would take her case to the Court of Appeal. She believed she had been suffering from erotic transference related to her previous abuse, a condition where emotions are shifted on to therapists.
"I wasn't coming on to my counsellor, I said I think I have transference, I'm not attracted to you, but he decided it was a come-on."
Police had told her there was not enough evidence to prosecute the man, but it had affected her more than the previous abuse.
"I would rate this as the worst experience, which doesn't make sense but it's called statutory rape in other countries."