ACC cuts to mental health care come under fire

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Thu, 15 Oct 2009 9:58a.m.

Psychotherapist Kyle Macdonald

Psychotherapist Kyle Macdonald

Cuts to ACC services are causing outrage from mental health workers who say sexual abuse victims will struggle to get free counselling.

The ACC changes mean the average worker will have to pay an extra $345 a year in levies and $30 more for the car under changes to ACC.

At the same time proposed cuts to ACC claims aim to save $2 billion.

Among the planned cuts are an end to free physiotherapy, no compensation for families of suicide cases and compensation to criminals will be restricted.

Psychotherapist Kyle Macdonald says victims will need to be diagnosed with a severe psychiatric mental illness to actually obtain counselling under the scheme.

“This is a group of people who often don't meet the criteria to receive a free public mental health service, yet whose lives are often severely limited by the abuse they received,” he says.

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Comments

18 Nov 2009 06:59p.m.

JR Murphy wrote:

After almost eight years of trying to get treatment and rehabilitation out of ACC I now have a severe mental illness. They just cut all my care against all my teams advice.

There are no mental health services, I keep getting arrested after phoning ACC begging and telling them the terrible violent and suicidal thoughts going through my head. The police have stripped me naked because of my disorder (I am a casualty of sexual abuse), I now refuse to go quietly unless they promise I won't have to remove my clothes.

Recently all my art and poetry as banned from a community mental health art studio, I was told my political work was disrespectful and no art that objected to any organisation would be allowed - what country do I live in and what year is it?

Tell me how anybody gets an assessment by a suitably qualified specialist, mostly it is ignorant GPs paid off by ACC's arrogant bigoted staff.

Part of my disorder means I have become very creative, I wrote this poem on the footpath outside Masterton ACC last week.

Mr Smith, Honourable Minister
Mr Smith your idea's sinister

You expect your workers to deliver
Shit balls rolled in cabinet rooms
You expect your workers to deliver
A service that breaks all rules

Instead help me Mr Smith
Help me Minister, help me Nick

Because a damaged man he raped me
Every way he could
A damaged man he raped me
Because he knew he could

Help me justice system
Help me lawyer, help me chief

I've been asking for care and justice
Every way I could
I've been asking for care and justice
Because I knew I could

Help me health providers
Help me professionals, help me guiders

The injury of abuse
Treatment and neglect's unfair
The injury of abuse
Should follow models of health care

Help me please my people
Help me heal, help me beat it

You took from me those ones
Those that understand
You took from me support
That steady guiding hand

Help me Mr Keys, help me Minister
help me please

15 Oct 2009 08:40p.m.

lin wrote:

Would someone who coauthored Massey Guidelines stand up? I presume ACC partly funded this research but to have it used this way is so wrong. It is being used to "spin" and bears little resemblance to the actual document. Even though your future funding may be cut please speak out......

15 Oct 2009 08:32p.m.

Lin wrote:

I am concerned that "best practice" is seen so selectively- where is the substantial input from the mental health workers who are actually doing the work. The Massey Guidelines are touted as showing "dragged out" counselling- did Nick Smith read them? Where is that conclusion??? I certainly cannot find it. It is the "spin" of selected research being wrongly used.

15 Oct 2009 06:07p.m.

jan.. wrote:

When you find out let me know cherie..

15 Oct 2009 10:10a.m.

cherie wrote:

Can someone please tell me why we were paying families of suicide victims ACC. Was it accidental suicide?
Just asking
There must be a reason?