Posts by Angela Hart
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Access: Disability as a wicked policy problem, in reply to Sacha,
Traded off now because of our ongoing inability to influence political decisions against lobbying by property investors.
Is it a done deal do you think?
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You have a wonderfully positive outlook Tom, and it's great to think and act with positive expectations. Over the years of constant battles, penury and knock backs ones positive expectations of decision makers tend to go out the window. At the same time I know from experience ordinary folk are generally good hearted if often misguided. I don't think our major problem lies with the public, I think it lies mainly with power dissing us. That's what must change if disabled New Zealanders are to be properly integrated into our society
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What do you think this person could actually do to improve things, considering the monolithic structures of the Ministry and other government agencies, and the risk averse, financially tight government? What would you do?
structure of the Ministry---- Obama has managed to get a more sensible health system started in spite of enormous problems with the American political/legislative system
But given the history of failure to meet the needs of disabled New Zealanders maybe its time to ditch the MOH and give the job to a specialist, rather than a Ministry focussed on its core (health) business.
risk averse How can you say that when this government is handing over core state functions to private enterprise, (SERCO, Social Investment Bonds) and devolving state assets to private enterprise, (power, state houses)? They are taking enormous risks and unfortunately those who pay the highest price when things don't work out are the most vulnerable and least organised groups. But that willingness to take risks can be a positive thing as well, provided there is prompt action when the custard starts showing and a pre-determined sensible contingency plan.
Financially Tight There's money when Ministers want it, look at the charter school in Northland and the 10 bridges. It isn't that there is a lack of resources it's how they are used. Rosemary is right that a ridiculous proportion of the money allocated for disability support goes to people who don't provide direct support and who do little to justify receiving that much funding.
What would I do? Rosemary is right again, get a handle on the problems which have been well documented over years. Then do something about them. Not another wishy washy statement but an actual plan with specific targets and deadlines and get on with reaching those goals. And of course, real actual people with disabilities should be involved in prioritising and planning- not NGOs but actual ordinary disabled people from a range of backgrounds and with a wide range of needs.
There's no silver bullet but there is capability if the will is there. -
outlines the priorities for the Manager of Disability Policy for the Ministry of Health
I'm disturbed by the serious deficits in the Position Description and by the obvious lack of recognition that this is a position which could and should be filled by someone who has lived long term with disability. More evidence, if any is needed, of the fact that in spite of all the rhetoric, the attitudes and beliefs of those who wield power have not moved.
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Wouldn't it be good if the MOH employed someone with lived experience of disability in this role?
What are the chances?
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Access: Disability as a wicked policy problem, in reply to Sacha,
which makes me wonder what we have to do to get a government which will take a fairer and more reasonable approach.
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Access: Disability as a wicked policy problem, in reply to Rosemary McDonald,
seems to suggest that the two groups should be treated the same....more or less
which makes sense, provided the same is at a level that meets their needs. The present situation tends to produce two classes of people, those who can't afford to do anything but exist precariously, and those who can live a good life - as the disability blurb puts it.
When people from the two groups mix, there is cameraderie, information exchange and such practical help as can be given- but also some degree of shocked disbelief from ACC recipients that MOH folk are so poorly catered for.
The level of ACC support for SCI is not luxurious or unnecessary, but practical and needs based so it really is difficult to understand how people with the same impairments can be treated so differently by the Ministry of Health- the agency specifically tasked with supporting disabled people. -
OIA requests show that most of the NASCs covering people with disabilities claim to have no records regarding the number of support hours actually needed by each disabled person using Funded Family Care. That is, they DON'T KNOW the extent of the support needed, in spite of the 3 to 4 hour assessment interview people are required to endure, and in spite of the requirement under Funded Family Care operational policy (page 24, section 13.2) that the amount of unpaid disability supports provided to a disabled person will be recorded in their support plan along with the planned paid supports.
The NASCs claim not to have a lot of the info they should have if they do their job the way they're supposed to. If I'm to believe the OIA responses, then NASC assessors (who often know sh*t about the disabilities they are assessing) are simply using their judgement to determine what to offer in terms of support hours, tempered by managers in order to keep costs down.
Is it really too much to expect that a 3 to 4 hour extremely personal and probing assessment process should result in robust evidence of support need?This little problem has been brought to the attention of the MOH but don't hold your breath. Corrections can bury a major problem for 18 months, but they can't hold a candle to the MOH.
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Access: Disability as a wicked policy problem, in reply to Hilary Stace,
I'm afraid I just can't watch Mike Hosking.
same here, pity, because Funded Family Care is an issue of extreme importance. But I just can't watch/listen to this guy.
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Hard News: A dramatic and unremarkable decision, in reply to Hilary Stace,
It would be nice if they would also consider what constitutes genuine informed consent. I have been in the situation where my daughter was seriously unwell such that she was not thinking straight and was unable to retain what she was told, in a hospital HDU. She was taken to have given informed consent for various medications and treatments including a change of cardiologist and I was not informed except in terms of her telling me what little she could remember having been told. ( I was excluded from Doctors rounds because of privacy issues in a several bed HDU)This was lip service to informed consent and yet was taken as totally acceptable by the medical staff. I don't think Doctors necessarily understand what informed consent actually is. It's sometimes quite convenient to try out some stuff without having to go into the pros and cons-- but also extremely risky for the patient. I won't be excluded from an HDU or an ICU ever again without security being called.