Podcasts about disability commissioner

This week, John speaks with Michael Small, Chair of Disability Voices Tasmania. Michael joins us to discuss the new Disability Rights, Inclusion and Safeguarding Act which is now in force in Tasmania. Hear about the newly created role of Disability Commissioner, the establishment of a Disability Inclusion Advisory Council and more. Also, a message from the BCA 50th anniversary Planning Committee.

Dr Isabella Wright completed her nursing degree 35 years ago in Sydney, Australia, and has worked in the aged care sector in many roles in Australia and New Zealand. Roles such as Clinical Educator, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Director of Nursing, Lecturer at Auckland University of Technology, as well as a Quality Auditor.Endorsed as a Nurse Practitioner in 2012, with an area of practice in adult and older adult care, Isabella is an independent contractor. She runs NP-led clinics in large residential aged care homes in Auckland, with a particular interest and experience in dementia care. She mentors NP interns every year in clinical practice during their Prescribing Practicum. Isabella is employed part time as an expert advisor to the Aged Care Health & Disability Commissioner, advising about aged care sector complaints relating to breaches of Health & Disability Consumer Rights. She is also contracted by the New Zealand Nursing Council as an expert panel member for Nurse Practitioner endorsement assessments. Her passion for academic excellence has inspired her to commence a Doctor of Health Science degree in 2017 at Auckland University of Technology, which she completed in February 2024. The Doctoral thesis was titled “Optimising the role of Nurse Practitioners in New Zealand”, exploring NP's psychosocial work environment.Link to research:https://openrepository.aut.ac.nz/items/6a0f07c9-bf17-4ef9-8f19-1ea33fc25338

Ten months after a highly critical report on cancer services in Southland and Otago some patients are still waiting too long for treatment because there aren't enough specialists. The investigation last year by the Health and Disability Commissioner found wait times at Southern District Health Board, now Te Whatu Ora Southern, were so bad that some cancer patients were likely to die before seeing a specialist. Now, in a follow up report doctors say the situation in some departments has got worse since the initial inquiry last April. Ruth Hill reports.

Doctors failing to catch blood clots. Cancer being missed. Medicine given to patients who are allergic to it. Surgical equipment left inside patients. We trust our lives to medical professionals to find out what's wrong with us and help us get better, but sometimes the mistakes of medical staff can lead to dire consequences. Thankfully, processes are in place to hold doctors, nurses and other staff accountable when things go wrong, and hopefully prevent mistakes from happening again. We're aware of many of these stories thanks to the Open Justice project which has been reporting on decisions made by the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal and the Health and Disability Commissioner.   Open Justice deputy editor Natalie Akoorie discusses what those organisations do, and how they can help you if your medical treatment causes you more harm than good. Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network. Host: Damien VenutoProducers: Shaun D WilsonExecutive Producer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health bosses desperate to recruit new cancer doctors to crisis-hit Dunedin Hospital, will need to sell them on cramped spaces and shuttling up and down the street. Te Whatu Ora has pledged to fix radiation oncology services in Dunedin after the Health and Disability Commissioner panned the years of specialist shortages and delays to patients. But Lyndell Kelly who retired recently after 16 years at the 'rad-onc' team there, and a term on the Southern District Health board till 2022, expects that will be tough when the services have been largely left out of the hospital's billion-dollar-plus rebuild. Instead, they must stay behind in an old, small building 500 metres away from the new inpatients block being built now - with a regular shuttle bus laid on. Our reporter Phil Pennington spoke to Lyndell Kelly.

An apology from a Southern Te Whatu Ora leader after a report has revealed it failed cancer patients for years. The Health and Disability Commissioner's released a damning report on the region's non-surgical cancer care, showing significant delays in care between 2016 and 2022. It included a patient told he had eight weeks to live, who faced a twelve-week wait to see a specialist. Te Whatu Ora South Regional Director for Specialist Services, Dan Pallister-Coward says they will now work more collaboratively with southern centres to provide timely care. "This report is a sobering reminder of the impact long waits for treatments people with cancer had, and we do offer our apologies to those that have been directly impacted, as well as their whanau." LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The country's Health and Disability Commissioner is keeping a close eye on cancer treatment delays in the Southern District. A critical report by Morag McDowell has looked into concerns at Southern District Health Board, now Te Whatu Ora Southern. It reveals significant delays in delivering non-surgical cancer care between 2016 and 2022, harmed patients and breached their rights. McDowell told Tim Dower she'll ensure the recommendations are complied with and will be watching to see if there is any deterioration in waiting times. Te Whatu Ora Southern says it's fully committed to implementing the recommendations. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A young woman claims her rheumatologist sexually assaulted her and for months exercised extreme control over her diet regime - triggering an eating disorder and suicidal thoughts. She's claimed malpractice to the Health and Disability Commissioner and has meanwhile had to undergo therapy.  Reporter Kirsty Frame spoke to Māni Dunlop.

More than two years after the sudden death of her husband at Palmerston North Hospital, a Manawatu woman is still waiting for answers about what happened. Christine Toms says she is in a state of limbo and doesn't even feel up to scattering husband Arthur's ashes. There's no indication how long a Health and Disability Commissioner investigation will take. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

The opposition are calling on the government to take hospital wait times seriously after the death of a 4 year-old child. Sebby Chua died waiting for medical treatment in Wellington Regional Hospital. He was previously sent home and told to sleep off his illness, believed to be tonsillitis, as his family claim doctors brushed off concerns and told them not to worry. His family have since lodged a complaint with the Health and Disability Commissioner. National Party Health Spokesperson Shane Reti says political action needs to be taken to prevent this from happening again. He says the government need to take emergency department waiting room targets seriously. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Wellington family is speaking out this morning, sharing their experience with the health system after their 4 year old son died after complications from tonsillitis. The parents sorted treatment at the Kenepuru and Wellington Regional Hospitals, and the main complaint is the level of time it took for their son to be seen, and a lack of response to some of his symptoms. The matter is still before the coroner and being investigated by the Health and Disability Commissioner, but the family is speaking out because they don't want this to happen to anyone else. It's a tragic, heart-breaking and isolated story, but it does raise the question, as a parent, do you feel heard when explaining your concerns about your child or adolescents health, or do you find you're more often than not being told to just administer Pamol? Parents – and often first time parents – can be overly concerned about their babies and children. Been there, done that. And children seem to pick up virus you've never heard of as an adult like slap cheek, and I had no idea that kids could get Hand, Foot and Mouth. But just because you're dealing with an overly cautious parent doesn't mean they shouldn't be heard. As babies grow into toddlers and older, I tend to think the main caregiver develops good intuition as to when the child needs medical treatment beyond Pamol, when they really aren't right. We shouldn't dismiss that intuition. There have always been long waits in Emergency Departments. We know services that were already struggling before Covid, are even more stretched now. We know that factors such as winter aliments, increased demand and staff illness also places pressure on the system. I have faith that our medical professionals are doing their best to give people the best care they can. But mistakes are going to happen when our health system is under pressure. It's not just EDs under pressure – our GPs are also under great pressure. Dr Brian Betty, College of GP's Medical Director, summed up the situation on Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning. The wait times in some areas of New Zealand to see a GP are quite frankly horrific. The pressure on ED's and primary care are intertwined, and we're suffering for it. So with an understanding of the pressures and issues – how are you navigating the health system at the moment? Are you struggling to get treatment, do you feel heard when you visit the doctor? How easy is it to get a diagnosis? Are you concerned that mistakes will happen when our health system is under pressure?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An investigation has been launched after a complaint was laid about an assisted death in a public hospital.A family member of the person who died laid a complaint about their experience at the hospital to the Ministry of Health.The ministry's assisted dying secretariat has upheld the complaint and referred it to the Health and Disability Commissioner, who has begun an investigation.Further details, including the location of the hospital, were not known. The ministry and commissioner's office declined to give further details.It was one of four complaints in the first five months of the Assisted Dying Service, which came into force in November after a majority of New Zealanders backed legal euthanasia in a public referendum. The three other complaints had been resolved.The Assisted Dying Registrar's first annual report on the service - which covers the period from November to March - shows that there had been no breaches of the law so far. Aside from the complaints received by the ministry, feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, the report by registrar Kristin Good said.Patients and family members reported they were happy with the process, with the support from doctors, and the "peaceful" and "dignified" deaths of their loved ones.End of Life Choice Society president Ann David said she had received glowing reports about the service. She said even patients who were "bitterly disappointed" to not qualify for an assisted death had been counselled "with warmth and compassion" by their doctors.She told the story of an elderly woman who had not wanted to die in her room in a rest home and arranged to die in a beautiful outdoor setting in the bush."Within minutes she fell into a sleep from which she never awoke. She had avoided a prolonged and gruelling death, remaining instead in personal control to the end."The latest data shows that 400 people have applied for an assisted death up to June, and 143 people have died.Around 80 per cent of applicants were Pakeha, and more than half were older than 65. The majority of applicants for the service had been diagnosed with cancer.The number of people having their applications rejected was high by international standards - possibly because of the relatively strict criteria to access assisted dying in New Zealand.A total of 68 people (17 per cent) were deemed ineligible, more than half of them because they did not have a terminal illness which was likely to end their life within six months.Act Party leader David Seymour, who led the law change, said the ministry had done an "outstanding job" in running the service so far.He noted that some applicants had died waiting for approval from the ministry."In some ways, they are the most tragic cases. But if nobody died waiting for approval, you might ask if [the process] was going too quickly. And if too many people did, then you might ask if it was too rigorous." Act leader David Seymour said he still felt the End of Life Choice Act was too strict and that more people should be able to access assisted dying. Photo / Mark MitchellSeymour said the "one big failing" of the law was the decision to narrow its scope to exclude people with "grievous and irremediable" conditions - such as motor neurone disease.He said he agreed to this amendment to ensure that the law would pass, but still felt people with these conditions should be able to access euthanasia.The registrar's report said that one of the main themes of feedback to the ministry was that the threshold for accessing euthanasia was too high."The legislation is not as enabling as some people were hoping for with the criteria making an assisted death more restrictive than overseas jurisdictions."This was coupled with hope for a broadening of criteria over time."John Kleinsman, a bioethicist at Catholic organisation The Nathaniel Centre, said he hoped...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Law Down under Podcast, we interview Emeritus Professor Ron Paterson about his book The Good Doctor and his career in tertiary education and public service roles. We talk about what drew him to health law and a career teaching at the University of Auckland. Ron has been a lecturer and then professor at the University of Auckland for over two decades, and has done extensive research in complaint resolution, inquiries, healthcare quality and the regulation of the health profession. We then talk about his career in public services roles, particularly as Ombudsman and Health and Disability Commissioner, and what those roles taught him for the government policy advisory reviews he has been involved in and led. This is a captivating chat with one of the most qualified and experienced people in health law and policy. This is a must-listen episode for those interested in health law, particularly in the COVID 19 era. I hope you enjoy this episode with Ron Paterson.

A former Health and Disability Commissioner,Ron Paterson is concerned that some people isolating at home, because there's no room at MIQ, are falling through the cracks and not being adequately monitored. 4264 people are isolating at home in this outbreak, including just 1855 Covid cases. In some cases very ill people have not received emails for phone calls to check on their condition and are being asked to report oxygen levels with no pulse oximeter and being offered throat lozenges and paracetamol as treatment. Ron Paterson says this is an unacceptable state of affairs.

A former Health and Disability Commissioner,Ron Paterson is concerned that some people isolating at home, because there's no room at MIQ, are falling through the cracks and not being adequately monitored. 4264 people are isolating at home in this outbreak, including just 1855 Covid cases. In some cases very ill people have not received emails for phone calls to check on their condition and are being asked to report oxygen levels with no pulse oximeter and being offered throat lozenges and paracetamol as treatment. Ron Paterson says this is an unacceptable state of affairs.

The Chair of the Medical Council says it has a zero tolerance for anti-vaccination messages. In Northland, where the positive case of Covid-19 has just been confirmed, the DHB has confirmed two general practice clinics in the region don't support vaccination. Dr Curtis Walker told Morning Report the Medical Council has received 23 notifications about doctors spreading vaccine misinformation, and the council has clear expectations about what is required from doctors. "Our standard around this is that any advice provided around vaccination has to be evidence based and expert informed. "The medical evidence is that the vaccination is safe, effective, and overwhelmingly supported by the health evidence and certainly the best way to protect their whānau and communities from this pandemic. So that is the evidence-based advice that we expect doctors to give." Dr Walker said investigations into complaints could take around six months, but measures could be taken in the interim. "If we see that there's harm being done by a doctor's conduct or practice or misinformation in these cases, we will institute measures such as requesting or requiring the doctor to cease doing what it is that they're doing. "That can include actually suspending a doctor while the investigations take place so that the public is protected as we work our way through the cases." The Health and Disability Commissioner has also received complaints about seven doctors, and says it is working on the cases with the Medical Council and other professional bodies.

The Chair of the Medical Council says it has a zero tolerance for anti-vaccination messages. In Northland, where the positive case of Covid-19 has just been confirmed, the DHB has confirmed two general practice clinics in the region don't support vaccination. Dr Curtis Walker told Morning Report the Medical Council has received 23 notifications about doctors spreading vaccine misinformation, and the council has clear expectations about what is required from doctors. "Our standard around this is that any advice provided around vaccination has to be evidence based and expert informed. "The medical evidence is that the vaccination is safe, effective, and overwhelmingly supported by the health evidence and certainly the best way to protect their whānau and communities from this pandemic. So that is the evidence-based advice that we expect doctors to give." Dr Walker said investigations into complaints could take around six months, but measures could be taken in the interim. "If we see that there's harm being done by a doctor's conduct or practice or misinformation in these cases, we will institute measures such as requesting or requiring the doctor to cease doing what it is that they're doing. "That can include actually suspending a doctor while the investigations take place so that the public is protected as we work our way through the cases." The Health and Disability Commissioner has also received complaints about seven doctors, and says it is working on the cases with the Medical Council and other professional bodies.

A woman who lost her job after her epilepsy drugs were changed without her knowledge has forced a top level health review. Twenty-eight-year-old Laura Hume says it was only after her health began deteriorating that she found out she was one of thousands of people who had been switched to a generic drug in a cost saving drive by Pharmac. Now the Health and Disability Commissioner has found there is a systemic failure in the way brand switches are communicated to patients and has asked Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield to intervene. RNZ In Depth investigative journalist Guyon Espiner has the story.

Nicola was appointed Banking Ombudsman in August 2015. She has over 20 years’ experience in dispute resolution, including four as Deputy Banking Ombudsman.  She has a law degree from Victoria University and a Masters of Public Health from Boston University. Nicola was previously the Chief Legal Advisor at the Office of the Health and Disability Commissioner and has worked in private practice. She has published and presented on dispute resolution in New Zealand and abroad.  Nicola is a consultant for the World Bank and on the board of FinCap and Malaghan See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The son of a woman who died aged 100 in a troubled Lower Hutt rest home says its systemic problems accelerated her decline. The Woburn Masonic Care home in the Hutt's wealthiest suburb is having its management overhauled amid an official investigation into five complaints of abuse and neglect. The Hutt Valley District Health Board has intervened eight months after it was alerted by the Health and Disability Commissioner. Last month the Masonic Villages Trust said it was going to close the 57 bed home and rebuild it. Nigel Evans' mother had a couple of falls at the home where she'd lived for several years, and died two years ago. He told Phil Pennington he is not blaming the nurses and carers - saying they've been let down too.  [audio_play] The Masonic Villages Trust  declined to comment on this case or Nigel Evans's claims, as did the Hutt Valley DHB The trust says it is working with the DHB to to ensure standards of care are met.

Honouring the legacy of a pioneer in the Australian feminist movement, the late Susan Ryan.

Honouring the legacy of a pioneer in the Australian feminist movement, the late Susan Ryan.

Once again we dissect a diagnosis-gone-wrong from the records of the Health and Disability Commissioner.  Can we learn something to take away and avoid making the same mistake ourselves?

In the Pod today: A woman who's made a complaint against Pharmac to the Health and Disability Commissioner says the drug-buying agency breached patient rights; the owner of a new Auckland daycare centre says its longer opening hours will meet the needs of families in his community and a chance to see New Zealand's future dance stars in action.

Dr Katie Elkin, Associate Commissioner, Legal and Strategic Relations at the Office of the Health and Disability Commissioner, discusses the considerable change in the design of health professional regulation throughout Australia and New Zealand since the beginning of the last decade. As well as ushering in significant structural reform, the legislation in both countries is now more explicit regarding its public protection objectives. However, the degree to which regulatory decision-making is actually consistent with public protection considerations is unclear. Through two major empirical analyses of complaints and disciplinary mechanisms in Australian and New Zealand, Dr Elkin has explored these issues and how they impact at throughout the regulatory journey, from registration through to disciplinary sanction. 13 May 2014

Dr Katie Elkin, Associate Commissioner, Legal and Strategic Relations at the Office of the Health and Disability Commissioner, discusses the considerable change in the design of health professional regulation throughout Australia and New Zealand since the beginning of the last decade. As well as ushering in significant structural reform, the legislation in both countries is now more explicit regarding its public protection objectives. However, the degree to which regulatory decision-making is actually consistent with public protection considerations is unclear. Through two major empirical analyses of complaints and disciplinary mechanisms in Australian and New Zealand, Dr Elkin has explored these issues and how they impact at throughout the regulatory journey, from registration through to disciplinary sanction. 13 May 2014

Dr Katie Elkin, Associate Commissioner, Legal and Strategic Relations at the Office of the Health and Disability Commissioner, discusses the considerable change in the design of health professional regulation throughout Australia and New Zealand since the beginning of the last decade. As well as ushering in significant structural reform, the legislation in both countries is now more explicit regarding its public protection objectives. However, the degree to which regulatory decision-making is actually consistent with public protection considerations is unclear. Through two major empirical analyses of complaints and disciplinary mechanisms in Australian and New Zealand, Dr Elkin has explored these issues and how they impact at throughout the regulatory journey, from registration through to disciplinary sanction. 13 May 2014

Katie Marriner caught up with Health and Disability Commissioner Anthony Hill about patient-centred care at the Ko Awatea Colloquium at Middlemore in June

This is the 2008 Nordmeyer Lecture titled "Inquiries into health care: learning or lynching?". Ron Paterson, Health and Disability Commissioner delivered this annual lecture. The lecture is in honour of Sir Arnold Nordmeyer who had numerous public roles.