Kirsten Davie: Physiotherapy New Zealand President on the calls for Physios to be able to sign off ACC patients as fit for work

Physios believe a law change is needed to take pressure of GPs and certify patients fit-for-work faster.  

They say the current law, which requires a GP to sign off their fit-for-work plans, is causing unnecessary delays.  

ACC patients are the only clients physios can't sign off on. 

Physiotherapy New Zealand President Kirsten Davie told Mike Hosking New Zealand can’t afford to have bottlenecks in the health system.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Our CPI inflations out tomorrow officially for Q one, and
there's some suspicion that's starting to creep back up again.
We look to the supermarket the food prices yesterday three
point five. Is that a worry. We'll talk to the
supermarket shortly seventeen past seven. Now the physiotherapy folk, I've
got an idea to save us money this morning. They
want a minor law change that would allow them to
sign off patients to return to work. Currently, a GP's

(00:21):
got to do it. A Physiotherapy New Zealand president Kirston Davies, Well,
it's Kirston.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Morning to you morning Mike.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
Is this old ancient thing where by physiotherapists aren't real
medicos and you've got a fake degree and so you
need somebody proper in the medical profession to do it all?
Is that where that comes from?

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Well, we do have a four year degree, of course,
and it is within our scope of practice to sign
people to understake those medical certificates. So we're there ready
waiting to do that to reduce that bottle and we
can get people back to work in the timely fashion.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
And that was all that would take, just a little thing.
You don't need to go back to a GP. A
physio can do it. That's all that's required to change it.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
That's right. So that would be a legislation change at
the moment it mentions GP and nurse practitioners that just
need to add physiotherapists in there, but actually acc at
the moment could make an operational change and just and
allow that through the contracts that they had with us.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
Why don't they You'd need to ask then that what
we are? See what it take me nine years to
get an answer Like every other government department operator going
in this country.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
Mike, I have absolutely no comment on that.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
It's the logic to it, and so I just don't
what would their argument be against you ticking the box
as opposed to a GP or a nurs practitioner.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
I'm not sure. I don't know. You'd need to ask them.
We know that there's an issue there. New Zealand cannot
afford to have bottlenecks in our health system. We all
need to be working seamlessly at the top of our
scope together, you know, to ensure that we don't have
the bottom nex they cost the New Zaid and taxpayer millions.

(02:08):
They are disruptive to business. People need to get back
to work that disruptive to the patient. It's difficult and
it's unnecessary.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
You raise a very good point, Kirstin, and I am
going to follow it because I've got Sammy. And Sammy's
job today is to ring ACC and there seems to
because I can tell you some stories about ACC. In fact,
I'm sure we could all tell each other stories about ACC.
They're in the whole once again financially and if they
can do something that's easy. So Sammy's job today is
to ring ACC up. Break through the barrier that unquestionably

(02:41):
will be put up in front of him by way
of a simple answer. Is Brian there, Hi, Brian, why
don't you do this? And Brian answers the question comes
back to us tomorrow. So what will now almost certainly
be a multi day operation while they fart around trying
to find some department or some person who hasn't taken
three extra days off between ANZAC day and we will
come back with the answer to see why they aren't

(03:03):
doing something about it, because that's what we do. Seven twenty.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
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