Posts by Rosemary McDonald
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I suspect there is no other area of government activity that has embraced neo liberalism to the extent that MOH:DSS has. The minority of disabled New Zealanders who are dependant on some degree of hands on care have been victims of a support system organised by a ministry that has little idea of what is needed and no respect for those citizens who need them.
MOH happily contracted out these services to charitable organisations and private enterprise...with little in the way of monitoring to ensure that they were doing the job the taxpayer was paying them to do. Hundreds of providers have now been whittled and conglomerated into a mere handful of super providers...performing tasks way beyond mere disability supports for MOH, MSD, ACC and DHBs.
For most disabled, the only portal through which supports can be accessed is through one of these large, often multi national companies.
These companies are in it for the money. Their contracts seemingly protect them from a) censure if they fail to perform, and b)reduction of income if say, the government changed a policy so disabled had real choice of who provided the care they need. (Bearing in mind that an estimated 60% of disabled would choose NOT to go through a provider, given the CHOICE that the HRRT decision, if honoured by the government, would have facilitated)
The Ministry of Health is one of the few government departments left largely unscathed by a change in government. One only had to listen to Tony Ryall's pronouncements (regarding the Family Carers Case) to realize he hadn't got a clue what was going on in Health, much less in Disability Support Services. He is totally at the mercy of his advisors and other senior bureaucrats. They trundle on regardless of what colour flag flutters over the funny shaped building over the road.
Methinks, that if Government is the dog and the Ministry is the tail, then the tail is wagging the dog.
Me also thinks, that the network of contracted providers unleashed by the Ministry to carry out its core disability support services has effectively seized control...yanking the tail of the dog.No...I don't understand politics...thank god...that would require a brain with many more convolutions than mine.
Social change...what the hell does that mean anyway? What does 'social change' look like? Its an expression bandied around like it can be somehow quantified.
I do understand about democracy...sort of...the "majority rules" bit. I wonder what this years budget would have looked like...because I am still on topic...if those disabled people needing 'personal support services' were in the majority.
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OnPoint: Budget 2014: Yeah okay., in reply to Sacha,
how? to whom?
http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/disability-services/disability-sector-strategic-reference-group
Would be a start. All the usual notables here...most importantly Toni Atkinson – DSS Group Manager, Ministry of Health (MOH)
Jill Lane – Director National Services Purchasing, MOH
Barbara Crawford – Manager Strategy & Contracting Support, DSS, MOH
Kathy Brightwell, Manager DSS Policy, Ministry of Health.An emphatic "we will not tolerate this shit" statement from the DPO representatives, a mass walkout if they get dismissed, then throw the damn Strategy and UNCRPD at their sorry heads.
All this "consultation" that is so highly valued by the DPOs has to have some meaningful worth.
Else it's just more yakkety yak.
FYI The Strategic Reference Group seems to be the top level means of communicating with the government about practical disability issues. Followed by the second tier; http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/disability-services/disability-projects-and-programmes/consumer-consortium
Consumer Consortium...again the usual suspects, plus a few actual pleb disabled.
Seemingly no other avenue by which the average disabled person can engage with the Powers That Be. Unfortunately...all the DPOs plus other organisations are funded by government....
OKAY...I give up!
All is lost.
Do you think there is any chance of getting Marylin Waring to stand again?
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OnPoint: Budget 2014: Yeah okay., in reply to Sacha,
Politics is nothing more than a contest over power and resources.
Agreed. The right to choose the person paid to provide care allocated after an assessment was recognised by the Tribunal and the two Courts.
The contest for control, power if you will, over the "resources" was won, not by disabled people represented by the DPOs who 'sit at the table with government', but by those who have contracted to both MOH and ACC to provide disability supports.
Despite, in the run up to the 2013 Budget, a plethora of media reports about abuse, neglect and even deaths of disabled people, when in the care of these 'professionals'.
Media reports that were described by Clare Teague CEO of the partially govenment funded New Zealand Disability Support Network...a provider organisation, as producing a "...perceived lack of confidence in providers."
http://www.nzdsn.org.nz/uploads/news/NZDSN-Newsletter-Jul_2013.pdf
And again in November 2013, just before the release of this damning report;
http://www.nzdsn.org.nz/uploads/news/NZDSN-Newsletter-Jul_2013.pdf
Clare Teague, CEO of NZDSN said;
"Though the majority of these were not substantiated and others that have been well and truly aired over the last year, it still is not a good look for the sector.
We look forward to the report from the external review of the Ministry of Health,...create a path forward to restore any reduction of public confidence in service provision."http://www.nzdsn.org.nz/uploads/news/NZDSN-Newsletter-Nov_2013.pdf
I am sure the taxpayers of New Zealand would be horrified to learn that $mega millions are being paid to agencies who continue to deny the abuses of disabled in their care while still demanding almost exclusive claim on every dollar spent on disability supports.
So pervasive is this power that this organisation has seduced the major DPO into a very close relationship...one that baffles me, as one would think that each case of neglect that comes to light, each death in care, would complel that DPO to sever their allegience with NZDSN and demand the funding be removed by government from providers who kill.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/9974163/No-charges-over-boys-death-in-care-centre
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OnPoint: Budget 2014: Yeah okay., in reply to Sacha,
Significant expenditure will always be political. We need to get much better at working the system that influences decisions, like other disadvantaged groups have done.
As soon as one begins to casually use expressions such as "working the system...", the battle to claim rights that give equality and equity to disabled citizens is lost.
At the present point in time, convicted child sex offenders have better protection of their rights than do disabled. Moreover, when it comes to "significant expenditure", no-one is suggesting that the government cuts back on the over $90,000 per annum it spends to keep these scrotes in jail.
There is something very rotten in the state of Kiwiland when this travesty is somehow acceptable.
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OnPoint: Budget 2014: Yeah okay., in reply to Sacha,
True, but I think the next leftish govt will look quite different to that one. As will the next rightish govt.
.....and a centrish government will look like what?
Politics MUST be removed from the provision of required disability supports.
Disability Support Services are an ongoing need...a right, in fact.
Disabled must have the security of knowing that the provision of services will NOT be dependant of the colour of the flag over the Beehive.
This is of equal concern to those disabled who enjoy the legislative protections of ACC eligibilty..
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OnPoint: Budget 2014: Yeah okay., in reply to Sacha,
The simplest answer to many of them is change the government.
Hmmmm.....
This issue went to the Human Rights Commission when the Red Flag flew o'er the Beehive. Could have been sorted then if it there was the will. There wasn't. Labour cried "foul!" a year ago when the PHDAct legislation was being RUSHED through the house....National quite rightly cried "hypocracy!".
What was "only a policy" (as Ruth Dyson said to me in early 2013), is now a law.
Which, by the way, does not seem to apply to all disabled....as exceptions are STILL being made. Back to square one.
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On the eve of the first aniversary of the Public Health and Disability Act amendment, the highlight of last years budget, I have been revisiting the posts and comments abounding at the time.
Especially this one:
http://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/onpoint-what-andrew-geddis-said-but-shorter/?i=225#replies
Anyone still give a shit about this?
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Hey! I've found a happy post - budget person!
So happy that disability support services are down for an extra $112.1 million they are "celebrating". Hopefully there will be a lot less of this;
from this particular MOH:DSS Contracted Provider.
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OnPoint: Budget 2014: Yeah okay., in reply to Sacha,
They did some helpful summaries in previous Budgets. Takes ages to riffle through the various docs otherwise.
Aha! You can teach an old b^#ch new tricks! Thank you Sacha.
Anyway, the taking "ages" bit I get, but I also do a fair amount of riffling myself.. Quite enjoy the pastime. Funny what turns up.
It would appear that this Budget is going to struggle under close scrutiny.
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OnPoint: Budget 2014: Yeah okay., in reply to Sacha,
"I imagine one of the disability organisations will analyse that - perhaps DPA now that they have a really good policy person on board."
I will await such an analysis with bated breath.
Although, since the Government is funding DPA NZ to the tune of $615,837....
compared to $11,000 in actual membership fees.....