NZ Disability Advisory Trust and Nicholas Stoneman 'pose a risk' to vulnerable consumers
One person complained their diagnosis of autism seemed to have been done from a questionnaire only and cost them $700. File image.
Photo:
AFP
A disability advocate and the organisation he works for have been labelled a risk to vulnerable consumers by the Health and Disability Commission which has taken the unusual step of naming them.
The New Zealand Disability Advisory Trust (NZDAT) and Nicholas Stoneman were initially anonymous in a critical report by the commission late last year.
That report raised shortcomings in an autism diagnosis, not engaging respectfully with clients, possible overcharging for services, and failing to address clients' concerns.
One complainant said the Trust charged her $700 for a diagnosis of autism that seemed to have been done from a questionnaire only, the commission's report said.
The accepted diagnosis practice was much more rigorous and the service had therefore failed to provide her with services of an appropriate standard, the report said.
In response to another complaint, Stoneman told the commission the complainer, Mr A, was "a serious narcissistic autistic".
Mr A had been upset when he learned about those comments.
"I am concerned that when Mr Stoneman made these comments, he did not consider how disrespectful they were and how they would affect Mr A," the commission said.
In an decision released on Monday, deputy commissioner Rose Wall said she was now naming Stoneman and the service because they had not carried out any of its recommendations.
"In the circumstances, I consider Mr Stoneman and NZDAT pose a risk to other vulnerable consumers," she said.
RNZ attempted to contact Stone and the Trust but none of the publicly listed numbers or websites were active.
The Trust's email automatically bounced back, signed by Nick Stoneman.
"The NZ Disability Advisory Trust Inc office is now closed for our hard working Disability Service Navigators to have some much needed leave we will do limited email checks over the office closure period," the auto reply said.
The Commission's recommendations had included that the service and Stoneman take further training in autism and dealing clients with autism, improve their process and policies and make apologies to the complainants.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
11 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Sucrose doesn't stop long-term impacts on preterm baby development
By Mia Mclean of This story was originally published on The Conversation. Babies born before 32 weeks gestation who have procedures in hospital that cause pain, such as the routine heel prick, suffer long-term consequences. Photo: Neil Salter Infants born very preterm spend weeks or even months in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) while their immature brains are still developing. During this time, they receive up to 16 painful procedures every day . The most common is a routine heel prick used to collect a blood sample. Suctioning of the infant's airways is also common. While many of these procedures provide critical care, we know they are acutely painful . Even tearing tape off the skin can be painful. We also know, from decades of research, that preterm babies' exposure to daily painful invasive procedures is related to altered brain development , stress functioning and poorer cognitive and behavioural outcomes . The commonest strategy to manage acute pain in preterm babies is to give them sucrose, a sugar solution. But my recent research with Canadian colleagues shows this doesn't stop these long-term impacts. In New Zealand, there is no requirement to document all procedures or pain treatments. But as the findings from our Canadian study show, we urgently need research to improve long-term health outcomes for children born prematurely. We collected data on the number of procedures, clinical exposures and sucrose doses from three NICUs across Canada. One of these sites does not use sucrose for acute pain management. This meant we were able to compare outcomes for children who received sucrose during their NICU stay and those who did not, without having to randomly assign infants to different care as you would in a randomised controlled trial - the gold standard approach. Very early born babies can spend weeks and months in a Newborn Intensive Care Unit. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly At 18 months of age, when children born preterm are typically seen for a follow-up, parents report on their child's behaviour. Our findings replicate earlier research: very preterm babies who were exposed to painful procedures early in life showed more anxiety and depressive symptoms by toddlerhood. Our findings are similar regarding a child's cognition and language , backing results from other studies . We found no link between preterm babies' later behaviour and how much sucrose they were given to manage pain. Sucrose is thought to activate centres of the brain that modulate pain and lead to the release of endorphins , but the exact mechanism remains unclear. It has become the worldwide standard of care for acute neonatal pain, but it doesn't seem to be helping in the long term. About one in 13 babies are born preterm each year in Aotearoa New Zealand. Some 1-2% are very preterm, two to four months early. Māori and other ethnic minorities are at higher risk . Studies in New Zealand show children born very preterm have up to a three-fold risk of emotional disorders in preschool and by school age . This remains evident through adulthood. Sucrose may stop preterm babies from showing signs of pain , but physiological and neurological pain responses nevertheless happen. As is the case internationally, sucrose is used widely in New Zealand, but there is considerable variation in protocols of use across hospitals. No national guidelines for best practice exist. Infant pain should be assessed, but international data suggest this isn't always the case. What's more, pain isn't always managed . Routine assessment of pain and parent education videos are useful initiatives to encourage pain management. Minimising the number of procedures is recommended by international bodies . Advances in clinical care, including the use of less invasive ventilation support and the inclusion of parents in the daily care of their infant, have seen the number of procedures decrease . Pain management guidelines also help, but whether these changes improve outcomes in the long-term, we don't know yet. We do know there are other ways of treating neonatal pain and minimising long-term impacts. Placing a newborn on a parent's bare chest, skin-to-skin, effectively reduces short and long-term effects of neonatal pain. For times when whānau are not able to be in the NICU, we have limited evidence that other pain management strategies, such as expressed breast milk , are effective. Our recent research cements this: sucrose isn't helping as we thought. Understanding which pain management strategies should be used for short and long-term benefits of this vulnerable population could make a big difference in the lives of these babies. This requires additional research and a different approach, while considering what is culturally acceptable in Aotearoa New Zealand. If the strategies we are currently using aren't working, we need to think creatively about how to limit the impact of pain on children born prematurely.
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
NZ's first water cremation service available in Christchurch
life and society 20 minutes ago While on holiday in Bali seven years ago, at accommodation next door to a crematorium, Christchurch woman Debbie Richards started thinking about what happens when we die. She said when she came across the idea of water cremation she decided she would take the leap to get it introduced to New Zealand. Now, the first water cremation service is available in Christchurch at Bell, Lamb and Trotter funeral directors, and Debbie Richards hopes that soon the service will be available all over the country. Rachel Graham has more.
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Sharp jump in Covid-19, respiratory infections
Photo: 123rf Environmental Science and Research (ESR) data shows flu and Covid infections are on the rise, with a sharp jump in hospitalisations for severe respiratory infections across Auckland in the past week. Meanwhile, GPs warn they are already under pressure. After phoning her GP clinic several times last week trying to get an urgent appointment, one desperate Lower Hutt resident decided to go to Lower Hutt After-Hours Medical Centre on Friday. "Google suggested it was busiest from when it opened 5.30pm to 7pm, so I went down at 7pm, and there was a sign up saying they weren't taking any more patients today." Her post on a community Facebook page attracted more than 100 comments, including from many patients who had had the same experience. She returned the next morning as soon as it opened at 8am, and finally got treatment. "The staff do the best they can, and it's not anything to do with the people doing their job. There are just not enough people to go around." Lower Hutt After-Hours Medical Centre was the only walk-in clinic for a population of more than 100,000 people. Manager Mark O'Connor said they treated about 45 patients a night on average, but there were times they had to turn people away. "Especially coming into this time of year with winter, we're just overloaded. We can have 20 or 30 people queuing up at the door at 5.30pm and we'll have three, even four, doctors on at times. But we just can't see everyone." ESR data showed hospitalisations for severe respiratory infections jumped more than 50 percent in the week to 1 June, although the rate remained about the same as last year. Calls to Healthline for influenza-like-illnesses increased, but were lower than at the same time last year. There were five reported outbreaks of respiratory illness: three in aged-care facilities in Nelson-Marlborough, Capital and Coast and Bay of Plenty, and two in early childhood centres, both in the Wellington region. O'Connor said seasonal pressure was compounded by the GP shortage. "Because of some patients not being able to get into their doctor during the day, we're seeing a lot more than just the usual winter type thing. We're seeing a lot more mental health and more other injuries." The clinic was moving to larger premises at the end of next month, and had funding to extend its hours from the end of the year. "The next step is to find the staff." Professor Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard. Photo: supplied Health NZ national chief medical officer Professor Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard said patients who could not get in to see their GPs - or could not enrol with a GP at all - often resorted to hospital emergency departments (EDs) . "We know there is a direct correlation between pressure on EDs and primary care services that are struggling. But EDs are not set up in the same way - it's not there to deal with respiratory illnesses, the more basic but high-volume illnesses that general practice is so well set up for, so that is a challenge." Health NZ was prepared for the inevitable winter surge - lining up extra staff, "optimising" beds and running vaccination campaigns, she said. More than 1 million New Zealanders have already had flu vaccinations this year, while only about quarter of a million are up-to-date with Covid-19 boosters. "That's similar to last year, we would really love it to be higher. The challenge is there are some people who don't have confidence in vaccination or find it difficult to access healthcare. And for those people we are really trying to do more in terms of outreach, working with community providers." percent20Region&log_or_linear=linear.=eighteenMonthsButton ESR wastewater testing showed Covid infections were on the rise again - up 75 percent in a week (between 18 and 25 May), well ahead of reported cases. South Auckland GP Allan Moffitt told First Up current variants were "not as virulent", but Covid was still dangerous for people with low immunity - and flu could also be deadly . "I've actually had several patients end up in hospital with influenza, so it's not a nice bug to have - it's not just the common cold." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
