2 July 2024
Sue
[FYI request #27060 email] [email address]
Tēnā koe Sue
Time Extension of your Official Information Act request, reference: GOV-032738
Thank you for your emails of 29 May 2024 and 31 May 2024, asking for the following information under the
Official Information Act 1982 (the Act):
There have been new reports of acts of harassment and violence against hospital staff, in the workplace, by
patients. However, I've found no articles of acts of harassment and violence against ACC staff, in the
workplace, by claimants. Thus, I am making a request for this information.
1. Request 1: Threats of violence and harassment by claimants For each year, since 01/01/2014, I
request the number of employees who have alleged to have been:
1) harassed or was threatened with an act of violence by a claimant;
2) harassed or was threatened with an act of violence by a claimant, which resulted in ACC and the
employee seeking assistance from the police;
3) harassed or was threatened with an act of violence by a claimant, which resulted in the Courts
issuing a restraining order against the claimant;
4) harassed or was threatened with an act of violence by a claimant, which resulted in a conviction
of the claimant of an offence in either the District or High Court.
2. Request 2: Victim of physical violence (i.e., physical assault) by claimants For each year, since
01/01/2014, I request the number of employees who have alleged to have been a:
1) victim of physical violence (i.e., physical assault) by claimants;
2) victim of physical violence (i.e., physical assault) by claimants, which resulted in ACC and the
employee seeking assistance from the police;
3) victim of physical violence (i.e., physical assault) by claimants, which resulted in the Courts issuing
a restraining order against the claimant;
4) victim of physical violence (i.e., physical assault) by claimants, which resulted in a conviction of
the claimant of an offence in either the District or High Court.
For clarity, the employee must have been working at ACC in the capacity of their employment with
ACC, when the alleged offence occurred. That is not about domestic violence, employee-to-
employee harassment or violence, or harassment or violence that occurred while not at the work
place (e.g., the bar or beach).
For the numbers in Requests 1 & 2, please provide the total numbers, and numbers based on
gender.
3. Request 3: Safety measures If the NZ Courts have upheld the allegations of ACC employees, that he
employee had been found by the Courts to be harassed, threatened, or assaulted by a claimant
while in the capacity of employment, please specify the changes that ACC put in place to prevent
4. future harm. Please provide the reports that evaluated the success of those measures taken to
prevent future harm.
To be clear, harassment and threats do not include persistent claimants who seek information, or
who are disgruntled with ACC's treatment of them and express their frustration, anger, or other
reasonable feelings, based on perceived service failures or breaches of rights.
5. This request is related to my request on May 29, 2024, regarding "Acts of violence by claimants
against ACC employees in the work place". I am writing to request the following information, which
I request to be in the underacted form:
- ACC159 Client risk profile summary
- ACC2222 Remote Claims Unit referral form
- ACC29 File summary and overview
- ACC7408 Security guard request for ACC or a provider form (171KB).
- Activate Care Indicator
- Activate, review and remove a client Care Indicator
- Activating the Client Care Indicator
- Add a care indicator to a client's Eos record
- Advise a provider that a client has a care indicator
- Aggressive and threatening behaviour guidelines
- Arrange and order security
- Assess management plan.
- Assess RCU transfer request
- Assess Te Ara Tika transfer request
- Complete Te Ara Tika referral form
- Complete file summary and transfer ownership in Eos
- Complete RCU referral form
- Complete risk profile and make client management recommendation
- Confirm whether to issue written warning to client
- Contact client to confirm transfer.
- Create a purchase order
- Create or update management plan.
- Criteria for activating the care indicator
- Deactivate Care Indicator
- Follow up overdue management plan reviews
- Guidelines for making a client management recommendation.
- Guidelines for when to remove a care indicator
- Issuing a trespass notice
- Managing care indicated clients
- Managing unreasonable complainant conduct
- Ordering security for staff and provider safety.
- Removing a Client Care Indicator
- Request information from the police or other government agency
- Review identified management plan and assess Care Indicator
- Reviewing the Client Care Indicator
- Transfer ownership in Eos
- Transferring a client with a Client Care Indicator
- Transferring care indicated clients to another branch
- Transferring care indicated clients to Te Ara Tika
- Transferring care indicated clients to the RCU
- WorkSAFE: Dealing with aggressive/dangerous clients
ACC needs extra time
The Act requires that we advise you of our decision on your request no later than 20 working days after the
day we received your request. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to meet that time limit and we are
therefore writing to notify you of an extension of the time to make our decision, to 30 July 2024.
This extension is necessary because consultations necessary to make a decision on your request are such
that a proper response cannot reasonably be made within the original time limit.
If you are not happy with this letter
You have the right to make a complaint to the Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available
at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602.
Ngā mihi
Christopher Johnston
Manager Official Information Act Services
Government Engagement
