19 June 2024
Anon
[FYI request #26926 email]
Tēnā koe Anon
Time Extension of your Official Information Act request, reference: GOV-032555
Thank you for your email of 22 May 2024 asking for the following information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
Please provide me with a copies of all of ACC's general employment contracts for the following
roles:
• Clinical Advisor, Clinical Services
• Psychology Advisor, Clinical Services
• Medical Advisor, Clinical Services
• Principal Clinical Advisor, Clinical Services
• Clinical Advice Manager, Clinical Services
• Chief Clinical Officer, Health Partnerships
• Manager Strategic Clinical Advice and Governance, Health Partnerships
• Strategic Clinical Advisor, Health Partnerships (including Strategic Clinical Adv
• Specialist Cover Assessors
• Cover Assessors
Please include, with the contract information, specific requirements for continuity of employment,
such as maintenance of particular qualifications or continued education.
If any of these roles do not have standard contracts, and are individual specific, please provide the
content that is general to each employee in that particular role, which would include the specific
requirements for continued employment, such as as maintenance of particular qualifications or
continued education.
The roles I've listed all require the employee to have a current registration as a health provider at
the date of commencement of employment. For each of the listed roles, please provide the
following information:
1.
Why the role requires current registration as a health provider at the date of commencement of
employment.
2.
Whether or not the role requires ongoing registration as a health provider during the duration of
employment within that role.
3.
If the role does not require ongoing registration as a health provider during the duration of
employment (in order to keep ones job),
(a) the conditions that an employee must meet to no longer be required to maintain registration as
a health provider; and
(b) the reasons for the exception to the requirement to maintain registration as a health provider,
when it was necessary to commence employment and all newly hired employees must meet
registration requirements.
As well as your clarification on 29 May 2024:
To clarify the reason of my request, the OIA team has provided contradictory statements regarding
the qualifications of Cover Asessors.
In GOV-004700 ACC stated:
When ACC receives an ECA’s advice in relation to a Treatment Injury claim, it is assessed by a
Treatment Injury Cover Specialist (TICS), who is a registered health professional.
In GOV- GOV-029599, ACC stated:
Specialist Cover Assessors in Claims Assessment require registration (including a current annual
practising certificate) on employment. However, if the work their role entails does not meet the
ongoing requirements of their registration body, they are unable to renew or maintain their
certificates and are not required to do so.
SCA's are Treatment Injury Cover Specialist (TICS) and their work is to assess Complex Claims,
including Treatment injury Claims. Thus, ACC has made a contradictory statement when they state
that SCA's are both registered and non-registered health professionals. This needs to be resolved by
HR.
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 19 July 2024.
This extension is required 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 response
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the Ombudsman.
Information about how to do this is ava
ilable at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802
602.
Ngā mihi
Christopher Johnston
Manager Official Information Act Services
Government Engagement