Faculty of Health, HEAL801: Healthcare Assignment - Task 2, Auckland

This report, prepared as a student assignment, analyzes the application of disability legislation and policy within the context of an Auckland Acupuncture Clinic. It examines healthcare accessibility, rights within the health system, and the standards expected of healthcare providers. The paper discusses the importance of providing access to information for disabled individuals and explores the New Zealand Framework for Dementia Care, highlighting how acupuncture can be used in the treatment of related complications. Furthermore, it critiques the current legislation and policies, offering recommendations for improvement, such as including acupuncture within the HPCA Act. The document refers to multiple sources, including the Human Rights Commission and New Zealand legislation, to support its arguments. The report concludes by emphasizing the clinic's efforts to reduce mental and physical barriers for patients while providing a comprehensive overview of disability and healthcare policy.

Running head: HEALTHCARE ASSIGNMENT
HEALTHCARE ASSIGNMENT (TASK 2)
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Task 2: Auckland Acupuncture Clinic: Application of Disability legislation and policy
There are multiple examples of different type of policies and strategies the New
Zealand government has taken for the growth and development of the healthcare processes as
well as implementation of the civil and legal rights of the people that are disabled. However,
considerable changes were observed from the year 2000 as afterwards the New Zealand
Disability Strategy was developed and implemented upon the healthcare facilitiesby the
Office for Disability (Disability rights in New Zealand, 2018). The growth and development
of the disability related aspects has been developed in the New Zealand, as the country is a
member of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities (CRPD)
since 2008 and through these years this country has developed as one of the leading nations
that has developed laws and regulations so that rights and regulations of the disabled
population could be provided to the patients. This section of this paper would discuss about
the application of disability legislation and policy in Acupuncture clinic in Auckland.
Healthcare accessibility and rights in the health system
The primary aspect that has been mentioned in this paper is the applicability and
accessibility of the care process associated with acupuncture clinic in Auckland. As
mentioned in the reports, it is one of the most effective and standard healthcare provider that
helps the healthcare professionals to understand the fact that it is one of the standard
healthcare service provider in New Zealand and it helps or aims to provide the healthcare
professionals with abilities so that they could bind or abide by the United Nations CRPD
(New Zealand Legislation, 2019). In making sure the needs of disabled person were met,
adequate infrastructures such as footpaths, wheelchairs, and appropriate medical equipment
were instilled to reduce the barrier for disabled. It was also mentioned that in this clinic, the
healthcare professionals follow the protocol provided by the New Zealand Human Rights

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Commission (NZHRC) so that they could overcome the risk of critical health complications
as well as overcome the unlawful discrimination against clients (Human Rights Commission,
2019). There are multiple aspects that are associated or included under the code of health and
disability such as the code of Health and Disability Services Consumer’s Rights or Health
and Disability Services (Safety) Act 2001 so that the following aspects could be included in
the care process and the rights associated to the following could be provided to the patients:
1. respect
2. fair treatment
3. dignity and independence
4. services of a proper standard
5. effective communication
6. full information
7. make informed choices and give informed consent
8. have a support person with them during treatment
9. access the Code when participating in teaching and research
10. Make complaints.
Healthcare provider standard
As per the healthcare laws developed and implemented by the New Zealand
government it was mentioned that all the care process should be registered under the law of
Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (New Zealand Legislation, 2019). As
mentioned in this law, it is the responsibility of every acupuncturist to register themselves
under this law Acupuncture NZ, ACC Healthcare provider so that they could effectively
follow and implement effective aspects in the care process and provide their patients with
critical care (Disability rights in New Zealand, 2018). As per this regulation, it should be
mentioned that providing acupuncture related treatment to the patients without these aspects

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is a breach to the HPCA Act and these education, regulations and guidelines has been
developed so that any complication related to such treatments such as skin infection,
infectious diseases and economic aspects could be avoided. It should be mentioned that the
acupuncture facilities in Auckland has maintained themselves to retain the high employment
standards and has made sure that all the acupuncturists joining the facilities are well educated
and known of the guidelines and are skilled with aspects that make them effective care
professionals. Further, the acupuncturists that are registered under the ACC and NZRA are
equipped with experience and are experts of different techniques such as neurology and
Chinese Osteopathy (Disability rights in New Zealand, 2018). Therefore, through these
aspects the healthcare guidelines determine effective care for the patients and helps to
develop a critically acclaimed and legally complied healthcare processes.
Access to information
All the data collected from The Better Information for Everyone: Disabled People’s
Right in the Information Age report (HRC) mentions the fact that 15% of the total population
of globe are living with some kind of disability and hence it requires more communication
and sharing of information so that every individual in the care facility could be provided with
critical care (Disability rights in New Zealand, 2018). It was also mentioned that all the
healthcare facilities should implement multicultural communication and informative aspects
so that everyone could be provided with critical care and could relate to the care process in
their mother tongue and the racial discrimination could be avoided. Moreover, the availability
of information should be increased to increase the health literacy of the community (Human
Rights Commission, 2019).

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New Zealand Framework for Dementia Care
Acupuncture is an important and developed process so that the post stroke, dementia
and neurological complications could be treated effectively (New Zealand Legislation, 2019).
In the year 2011, the framework related to dementia was developed so that all the
complications could be addressed. It includes the acupuncture process implemented for the
dementia patients in the Acupuncture clinic in Auckland. All the nursing professionals
included in the process were equipped with strategies, knowledge and skills to treat stroke,
dementia, helping clients and their family to live along well with such disability (New
Zealand Legislation, 2019).
Critique of the applied legislations
As mentioned in the report published in United Nation (2019), it was mentioned that
acupuncture has not been included in the HPCAA of New Zealand and due to this people are
skeptical of using this healthcare intervention for their wellbeing.Therefore, prior to develop
guidelines and regulations of this process. The government should focus upon the care
process so that all the critical care be provided to the patients and the process could be
included in HPCA Act. It is important that the government takes this process stringently and
then provide critical care to the patients effectively (Ministry of Health NZ, 2013). Further,
the government should also focus upon developing experiments and evidences for the
effectiveness of the intervention so that both the consumers and care providers understand the
effectiveness of it and implement in different care processes (New Zealand Legislation,
2019).
Summary
This document effectively identifies all the aspects associated with disability,
acupuncture and the policy related to it applied upon the clinic for acupuncture in Auckland.

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This paper identifies that it is possible to develop effective interventions using acupuncture
technique and mentions that the while receiving the care, patients are provided with their civil
and legal rights. Further, it was mentioned that it aims to reduce the mental and physical
barriers these health complications could be reduced. This document provides a detailed
analysis of the laws associated to the acupuncture which has been implemented in the
healthcare facilities recently and mentions the goals developed for effective implementation
of acupuncture. So far, Auckland, New Zealand had anticipated steady progress towards
these goals.

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References
Better information for everyone: Disabled peoples rights in the information age. (2012).
Auckland, N.Z.: Human Rights Commission.
Human Rights Commission (2010). Rights of Disabled People (Chapter 17), p. 7, in Human
Rights in New Zealand 2010.
Ministry of Health NZ. (2013). New Zealand Framework for Dementia Care. Wellington:
Ministry of Health. Published in November 2013 by the Ministry of Health PO Box
5013, Wellington 6145, New Zealand. ISBN 978-0-478-41500-1 (print) ISBN 978-0-
478-41501-8 (online) HP 5689
New Zealand Legislation (2019). Health and Disability Services (Safety) Act 2001. Retrieved
from: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2003/0048/latest/DLM203312.html
New Zealand Legislation (2019). Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003.
Retrieved from:
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2003/0048/latest/DLM203312.html
New Zealand Legislation (2019). Health and Disability Commissioner Act 1994. Retrieved
from: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1994/0088/latest/DLM333584.html
United Nation (2019). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)-
Articles Enable. (n.d.). Retrieved from:
https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-
persons-with-disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities-2.html
Disability rights in New Zealand. (2018, March 09). Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disability_rights_in_New_Zealand

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