Dear Accident Compensation Corporation,

In previous requests asked in relation to complaints about assessors you have said (ref: 0054109):
"Complaints about assessors may be made to the Claims Management Team who would deal with them directly or others may be made to the Engagement and Performance Manager."

1) What processes or policies are in place to determine how the Claims Management Team deal with incoming complaints about providers and/or assessors? Please provide a copy of any relevant documentation used to determine this decision making process.

2) How are complaints made to the Engagement and Performance Manager about Suppliers, Providers and assessors? Are claimants able to make these complaints directly to the Engagement and Performance Manager and if so how, or is the validity of the complaint determined only by the Claims Management Team? If the later, who within the team decides this and is the claimant notified?

In relation to Statement of Corrections and complaints made to case managers, you have said (ref: 0054109):
"To ascertain the number of complaints that may have been received by the Claims Management Team would require a manual search of individual claim files."

You have also said similarly regarding the lodgement of Statement of Corrections in relation to 2 named assessors (Dr's Collier and Farnell). It appears no statistical or useful reference is kept of those very important documents and they end up being hidden away in claimants files.

3) Within a "fair and sustainable scheme" a higher number of complaints and/or Statement of Corrections being lodged could indicate valid concerns about the integrity of the assessment process or assessor. Why does ACC not have a more responsible, robust and transparent system in place to keep track of provider and assessor complaints, and Statement of Corrections?

4) Do ACC consider assessors, being non-treatment providers of services to the Corporation, as included within s39 (b) and (c) of the AC Act 2001 and therefore subject to the provisions of the Code of Claimants rights? If not why not? If so then why do ACC consistently refer claimants to HDC for complaints involving disputed assessments/reports?

Yours faithfully,

Bridget Morison