Changes to Allied Health Services contract

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We are making some changes to the Allied Health Services contract which will take effect on 1 November 2024. 

What’s changing?  

We are making a few changes to provide more flexibility for suppliers. We are removing:  

• the requirement to have a Clinical Director, providing more flexibility on how a supplier meets the requirements currently performed by the Clinical Director role  
• the written reports requirement at the 16th treatment currently performed by the Clinical Director  
• the requirement for professional body membership with Physiotherapy New Zealand and Podiatry New Zealand
• the requirement for membership of the Physiotherapy New Zealand Pelvic Women’s and Men’s Health special interest group for providers delivering Pelvic Health Physiotherapy.

We are also changing the accreditation requirements. The option for suppliers to be accredited against the NZS 8171:2005 Allied Health Service Sector Standard, with all suppliers required at the next audit point to be accredited against the ACC Certification Requirements for Physiotherapy, Hand Therapy and Podiatry Services (2021)  

What’s not changing?  

We are not removing the requirement for Hand Therapists (Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists) to be registered with Hand Therapy New Zealand (HTNZ), as they are the supervising body for Hand Therapists. Hand Therapists require additional training to provide services under this contract, and membership of HTNZ demonstrates attainment of this standard.  

We are not removing the requirement for Pelvic Health Physiotherapy Service providers to confirm they have appropriate and current training, knowledge, and competencies to work safely within the field and be registered with ACC.

Why are we doing this?  

We have been conducting a review into the Clinical Director role and Accreditation to see if these two components are working as expected.  

We are removing the requirement to have a Clinical Director as there is currently a duplication of responsibilities between this role and those set out in our Standard Terms and Conditions, Regulatory Authority requirements and Annual Practising Certificate requirements. As a result, we will be setting the expectation on the supplier that these responsibilities are met, rather than having a separate role to monitor this.  

We are removing the option for suppliers to be accredited against the NZS 8171:2005 Allied Health Service Sector Standard as this refers to out of date legislation and duplicates other more current legislation which has progressed significantly. The ACC Certification Requirements for Physiotherapy, Hand Therapy and Podiatry Services (2021) are specific to our service requirements and will allow for consistency across all contracted suppliers. 

Lastly, removing the compulsory requirement for professional body membership aligns the Allied Health Services contract to our Vocational Rehabilitation Services and Integrated Care Pathways Musculoskeletal (ICPMSK) contracts. 

Whilst we encourage membership of these professional bodies, we recognise that this is a decision for suppliers to determine how their providers demonstrate they are fit to provide services for ACC kiritaki (clients).  

If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact your EPM or email alliedhealth@acc.co.nz.