Yes. With the majority of these, early notification to the NHPNZ has meant these have been resolved before getting to the litigation stage.
However, over the past three years one of our long-serving practitioners has unfortunately been facing a legal battle initiated by the Ministry of Health.
The complaint was originally lodged by the complainant with the Health and Disability Commissioner. It was subsequently referred to the Ministry of Health to assess whether the activity performed by the practitioner was considered a restricted activity pursuant to the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act (Restricted Activities) Order 2005. Health practitioners under HPCA are not permitted to perform activities outside their scope of practice.
This case has been a very long drawn out, difficult and highly resource intensive exercise, however, the fantastic news is the practitioner was recently acquitted of all charges.
This is a great result when one considers the number of resources that the Ministry of Health have at their disposal.
The practitioner concerned advised us of the acquittal and sent back a heartfelt reply saying “I’m indebted to you for your support. Yes, I know it’s all part of being a member and having insurance, but it’s more than just that, it was very tough and overwhelming, and I sincerely believe without your support and guidance through the whole process, I would have not got through it. It’s the worst experience I have ever had to face in my life.”