Access: Fighting seclusion with collective activism
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Angela Hart, in reply to
The issue is risk not resources.
It's much more complicated than that.
Although various funding agencies are contributing to Ashley's care to the tune of about a million, these funds can only be used in specific predetermined ways.
If it were the case that a key decision maker with oversight of Ashley's care was able to allocate up to a million in the most appropriate ways to obtain best care for Ashley and best safety practices for staff, that could and, I think, would be done. But this million is not like that, it is an estimated part of the cost of running the establishment which is imprisoning Ashley, plus the costs of medication and other aspects of his care, none of which approach meeting his needs. What it does is manage the safety and expectations of those charged with his care at the cost of his mental health and physical health and his human rights.
So it is an issue of resources because standard funding arrangements and bureaucratic systems ignore exceptional cases like Ashley and cannot easily be modified to meet the need. If you have unusual needs the health, disability and social welfare system we have developed does not cater for you. And you don't have to be as exceptional as Ashley to be in the too hard basket either. Ashley represents the tip of an iceberg.
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linger, in reply to
Ashley represents the tip of an iceberg
albeit a particularly curly one?
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Angela Hart, in reply to
N-ice!
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Rosemary McDonald, in reply to
And you don’t have to be as exceptional as Ashley to be in the too hard basket either.
But, but our wonderful Disability Support Service has a Strategic Direction that clearly states their commitment to...
Our vision is that disabled people and their families are supported to live the lives they choose. We are committed to increasing disabled people’s choice, control and flexibility regarding the supports they receive.
We are continuing to focus on supporting people to live the life they want. This includes increasing individualised funding and trialling new ways of delivering services (eg, supported self-assessment).
This talk of 'flexibility' and 'person centered support systems' has been going on forever.
The current mob are clearly suffering from intractable and incurable bureaucratic constipation and need to be put out of our misery as soon as possible.
Show some mercy.
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Rosemary McDonald, in reply to
If it were the case that a key decision maker with oversight...
Realizing that Peter was well outside the 'normal' with respect to MOH:DSS's narrow and inflexible parameters for managing supports we did embark upon a mission to find and engage with such a person.
Fools we were.
Fools.
All that valuable fishing time wasted.
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Neil, in reply to
If it were the case that a key decision maker with oversight of Ashley’s care was able to allocate up to a million in the most appropriate ways to obtain best care for Ashley and best safety practices for staff, that could and, I think, would be done.
I think you're assuming that quite a number of senior health professionals haven't looked long and hard at alternatives. He poses an ongoing high risk to others which because of the complex nature of his mental state makes it very difficult to manage.
Health clinicians do not keep people in restrictive environments without very good cause. Every effort is made to keep people in the community setting where possible. That's the default position.
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Ian Dalziel, in reply to
render unto Caesar...
the tip of an iceberg
...albeit a particularly curly one?why - just be cos...
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Every effort is made to keep people in the community setting where possible. That's the default position.
yes and no, I'm afraid. If you happen to be a high needs disabled person there is in fact considerable pressure on you and your family to accept residential care of one type or another rather than be supported in your own home. This is first hand experience speaking, as well as the experiences of my high needs friends.
It's easy to believe all the nice words, as in the Disability Strategy, but the practice doesn't bear them out, unfortunately.However I realise you are talking about the narrower field of mental health which might just possibly be an exception.
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Neil, in reply to
However I realise you are talking about the narrower field of mental health which might just possibly be an exception.
Yes that's the case, possibly could have been clearer.
The two areas intersect with Ashley Peacock. I don't think we're going to agree but I do think it's worth considering what if the treating team are knowledgable and well meaning. There is this schism of opinion with those involved in his care on a daily basis on one side and community-based people advocating for him on the other.
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Hilary Stace, in reply to
I appreciate your perspective from one side of the schism even though I'm on the other. Maybe there is a possible future convergence?
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Sacha, in reply to
this schism of opinion with those involved in his care on a daily basis on one side
We seem to hear that position mediated only by risk-averse managers, which does not enhance trust.
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Neil, in reply to
We seem to hear that position mediated only by risk-averse managers, which does not enhance trust.
It would be difficult for anyone in the treating team to speak out because of privacy issues. I can discuss this because I have no involvement and stick to generalities. But I'm conscious that I have to be careful what I say.
Also, these issues often have to be handled via the DHB public communication apperatis - which is understandable and unavoidable perhaps - but does tend to strip away a lot of important detail that would be difficult to communicate anyway.
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Sacha, in reply to
I mean senior DHB/MoH managers, not the treating team. They aren't doing a great job of communicating about the professional constraints faced. The Ministry's senior mental health advisor was a picture of caution when interviewed by RNZ.
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
I mean senior DHB/MoH managers, not the treating team. They aren't doing a great job of communicating about the professional constraints faced. The Ministry's senior mental health advisor was a picture of caution when interviewed by RNZ.
Sometimes we wonder if the bad old CHE culture has lingered in one form or another.
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Fighting exclusion with collective activism...
Tiaho Trust's Jonny Wilkinson speaks out about the lack of accessible housing and inaccessible and mana destroying disability conference venues.
He also has a little bit to say about effective protesting...
It seems to me that, at the moment, to get any media attention at all, you have to generate a disquiet, a disruption, something inappropriate.
Speaking of which, there was a small anti-war protest at one of the Anzac parades on Tuesday. This attracted a fair bit of media attention on the AM Show.
There was a clip of a young boy who vented his disapproval at the protesters. He harangued the protesters in a rather stentorious manner, saying: "It's totally inappropriate to protest on this day, it's just wrong, wrong, wrong!"
So here's the thing about protesting, folks, it's MEANT TO BE INAPPROPRIATE, THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF PROTESTING.
It is designed to be confronting and uncomfortable, in order to spark different ways of looking at things.
Now, getting access to the full range of facilities at an iconic hotel . . . this is not meant to be confronting and uncomfortable.
That, my self-righteous young friend, is truly wrong, wrong, wrong and decidedly "inappropriate".
:-) :-)
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Congratulations to Kirsty Johnston who last night won a Canon Media award for her Ashley story from last June mentioned in this post. We needed a journalist who was not afraid of disability, abuse or government agencies, and would also treat the family involved with respect and integrity. Thank you, Kirsty.
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And here's Kirsty again, one year on and still fucking battling.
Truly, people, I'm over it and I'm singularly unimpressed with Genter's response.
The stumbling block appears to be funding... or it could simply be that the Ministry are being twats because they are being guilt tripped into sorting this.
Whatever...Genter needs to make some calls and get to the bottom of it.
Oh and Julie Anne....I'll say it again...don't rely on getting the truth or an accurate picture from Ministry of Health bureaucrats.
Oh, and thank you again Kirsty.
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Neil, in reply to
It could that the Govt - now in power - now have to own the consequences of a difficult and potentially dangerous decision.
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Sacha, in reply to
Nothing has changed about the nature of the decision over the last year (and more).
The Ministry's contracting team has form for dicking around to screw money out of every other organisation as if their only goal is financial. They need their arses kicked promptly and firmly.
Which other industry would put up with this sort of time-wasting over a clear threat to someone's wellbeing?
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Neil, in reply to
I think the complexity and risks are much greater than you think - something Genter has apparently now come to appreciate.
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Rosemary McDonald, in reply to
I think the complexity and risks are much greater than you think – something Genter has apparently now come to appreciate.
Tell you what Neil...shine a bit of light here...what the hell do you mean...'the complexity and risks....?
Because after over a decade of being locked up like a feral, only the truly moronic would deny this will not be an easy or risk free transition for Ashley.
He is going to need rehabilitating...in the true sense of the word.
And if it costs more to try and ensure his safety, so be it.
They should have thought about the accumulative damage done to this man while they all sat around the wash basin.
Or were they hoping for another outcome...
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Sacha, in reply to
Nobody is downplaying risks - hence the cost of the solution (and of the current harmful arrangements).
Penny-pinching is therefore completely the wrong attitude from the Ministry and stamping it out will require a big culture change in that team.
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Sacha, in reply to
something Genter has apparently now come to appreciate
And what do you base that claim on?
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Neil, in reply to
Tell you what Neil…shine a bit of light here…what the hell do you mean…’the complexity and risks….?
He is a complex case. He has seriously assaulted other people.
Most people with a psychosis aren’t complex, usually medications are effective and symptoms such as command hallucinations that can cause aggression disappears or loose their intensity.
But for a small number of people this isn’t the case and for even smaller number of people the risks remain very high and for an even smaller number of people co-existing conditions make tresatment and care extremely challenging.
Hence there’s a very very very small number of people where there are very serious dilemmas.
The public would be better served if they could hear directly from the health professionals responsible for his day the day care.
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Rosemary McDonald, in reply to
And hopefully the health professionals heard the Ombudsman...
( Sincerely hoping that linked works.)
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