Encouraging Progress on ACC Sensitive Claims

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.

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