ACC outlines changes to improve service to Kiwis

ACC will be introducing changes over the next 18 months to the way it supports injured New Zealanders to speed up their recovery, says Chief Operating Officer Mike Tully.

“We’re changing because our clients have told us we need to. They’ve told us to make it easier for them to work with us, to simplify and speed things up and ensure our service is consistent. To do this, we’re proposing changes to the way our client service teams work, and the locations from where they provide particular types of support.

“All 25 existing ACC sites will remain open, and we’ll continue to offer face-to-face support for clients where it supports their recovery,” says Mike Tully.

Proposed structural changes will see new roles created in five hubs – Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin – to work with clients who do not usually require face-to-face support when recovering from less severe injuries such as sprains, strains and fractures, which make up 94 per cent of claims.

“A significant number of new roles are being created across New Zealand. At the same time, there could be around 300 redundancies over the next 12 months, not taking into account natural attrition, or people taking up relocation opportunities. Overall the number of people in our client service teams will remain at around 1800.

Mike Tully says the changes are all designed to provide a faster, more flexible service that gives clients more options about how much help they receive.

"We know our clients require varying levels of support from us as they recover from injury, and based on their feedback we’ve begun tailoring our services to suit their individual needs and offer greater choice – from intense one-on-one support, through to enabling clients to manage their recovery plan online if they’d prefer to.”

"Our intention is to also significantly reduce the 40 per cent of time our client-facing employees currently spend on administrative tasks, freeing them up to spend more time on working directly with those who need tailored care and recovery plans.
“We’ve been testing this new approach in Hamilton and Hawke’s Bay over the past 18 months with more than 25,000 clients supported by 100 employees.

“Due to faster decision-making, and faster organisation of support services, appointments, and getting the equipment that people need, clients are recovering at least 2.3 days earlier (41.8 days compared with 44.1 days across our network). Client satisfaction levels are also higher – up seven per cent on average for people supported through our test sites.

“Consultation was due to start on 20 March, but we delayed it until today following the terror attack in recognition of the attack’s impact on communities and on our own people, who are focused on ensuring victims get all the support we can provide. Consultation will be followed by an expression of interest process which provides a clearer picture of what options and opportunities our employees are interested in pursuing.

“We recognise all our client service people are impacted by these proposed changes and this is an unsettling time for them. We are being transparent and supportive throughout this process.”

Employees affected by the proposed changes will be offered reassignment to an appropriate role in the same location if one is available, reassignment to a similar role in a different location if they are interested, or where this is not feasible then redundancy will be offered.

Mike Tully says the changes are part of wider improvements all aimed at improving ACC’s client experience and health outcomes. These include:

• A faster claims acknowledgement and acceptance system implemented in September 2018, which is significantly reducing the time taken to accept claims;
• The introduction of a MyACC online portal that allows clients to access to information about their claim and services when it suits them; and,
• A new payments system launching this year will speed up the time taken to make payments to clients, and be linked to a new client information management system so there is a single source of all claims-related information.

“This is not a one-off change. Our intention is to continue improving and refining how we support our clients, especially through greater use of technology.”

Please note that the consultation document; one-page summaries of the proposed changes for each of our sites, and a national overview of the changes will be available on our website from 3.30pm
Consultation document – https://www.acc.co.nz/assets/corporate-documents/dd50b7223b/client-service-delivery-phase-three-consultation.pdf
Location document – https://www.acc.co.nz/assets/corporate-documents/39935628fd/client-service-delivery-phase-three-consultation-by-location.pdf