CHRIS MCKEEN/STUFF
Heather Campbell s son and daughter were harmed by antiepileptic medication. If she had her time again, she wouldn t have children. (First published August 2019) Denise Astill’s 19-year-old twins Jazmyn and Natasha have Foetal Anticonvulsant Syndrome (FACS) and are unable to work due to the brain injuries they suffered because Astill took anti-seizure medication Epilim while pregnant with them. At the time, Astill was unaware Epilim could cause birth defects. Jazmyn and Natasha are among approximately 1000 people injured as children who receive weekly support from the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). The payments, known as loss of potential earnings (LOPE), are set at 80 per cent of what a fulltime worker on the minimum wage earns – just over $500 a week after tax.
RNZ The bar of causation has become quite a difficult one for an injured person to overcome. A new report estimates 300,000 people could be missing out on cover, treatment or support from ACC. (First published May 2017)
Hundreds of people injured as children – including sexual abuse survivors – receive less than the minimum wage every year when they take time off work for treatment, due to an “unfair loophole in accident compensation law. Most people hurt in accidents are eligible for weekly compensation payments of 80 per cent of their past year s income through the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) scheme while they are off work recovering.
KEVIN STENT/Stuff
Daphne Fraser has lost her independence and partially lost use of her arm after a set of automatic doors closed on her at The Mall in Upper Hutt in November.
Daphne Fraser had been given a clean bill of health by her GP, but that all ended later in the day when she decided to pop into her local mall. The 89-year-old broke her shoulder on November 18 when she was knocked to the floor by a set of automatic sliding doors at The Mall in Upper Hutt. Her ordeal follows two other incidents involving women who suffered injuries from automatic doors.
Wednesday, 13 January 2021, 8:49 am
The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) will again be
the principal sponsor for New Zealand’s first national
primary healthcare awards.
ACC is sponsoring the
patient safety award, which celebrates excellence in safe
practice. The award recognises an individual or team for
outstanding innovation and leadership in patient safety and
raises awareness and support for the safety of all patients
in all healthcare settings.
The second year of the New
Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards |He Tohu Mauri Ora are now
open, and entries will be accepted until 10pm, 17 January
2021. The awards give GPs, primary care and community teams,