ACC urged to adopt panel's recommendations

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.