Evaluation of the New Zealand Disability Strategy

Task 1

1.1

New Zealand Disability Strategy (2016-2026) will help the government agencies to solve any disability issues which will occur between the years 2016-2026. (Ministry of Social Development, 2016)

This strategy has a vision which states that New Zealand has many disabled people and all of them have an equal opportunity in the society to reach their goals and aspirations and all of the people in New Zealand should work as a team to make this possible. (Ministry of Social Development, 2016)

Objectives of the New Zealand Disability Strategy (2016-2026)

1. Education

The provision of education should be in such a way that it supports the person both academically and in their social development. The ones who use a different mode of communication such as sign language, should have an opportunity to have them accessible to them and they should be able to progress in that. The education services that are provided for the disabled should be equal as the others and of high quality. (Ministry of Social Development, 2016)

2. Employment and Economic Security

There should not be any obstacles in their way when they are applying for jobs. They should be treated in a respectful manner by their colleagues who are non-disabled so that their work feels appreciated and relevant to them. (Ministry of Social Development, 2016)

3. Health and Wellbeing

There should not be any obstacles in their way for accessing health services because of the impairments that they have. They should be well respected by the healthcare staff. Information about the health services should be available to them in ways which they can access it according to their disability. (Ministry of Social Development, 2016)

4. Rights Protection and Justice

They should be treated in a fair way in the justice system. If they need support and services by the judicial system, they should be able to easily access it without any obstacles in their way. (Ministry of Social Development, 2016)

5. Accessibility

Housing should be available to them according to their needs which will support them to participate in the community. Places should be easily accessible to them such as their workplace, schools, shops, public facilities.

Transportation should be available to them according to their needs. Different formats of communication should be available to them, such as sign languages and different languages such as Te Reo Maori which is the official language of the country. Their access to the community places such as banks, parks, malls should be free from obstacles so that they can interact with other non-disabled people. (Ministry of Social Development, 2016)

6. Attitudes

Their disabilities should be understood and they should be treated well and with respect by the society. They have the right to choose the way in which they want to be known as. They should be able to use their own languages to express their views on things and be heard by other people. Their views should not be declined by the society. (Ministry of Social Development, 2016)

7. Choice and Control

Get to make their own choices about their lifestyle that how do they want to live. Their permission will be taken before doing things that will have an effect on them. They are capable of changing their decisions. Availability of resources should be informed to them so that they can make their choices rather than settling for less. If they are going to make risky decisions, support should be provided to them and they should be told about the consequences of their decision. (Ministry of Social Development, 2016)

8. Leadership

They should be supported to be leaders in the role that they choose to be in. they can be leaders in so many things such as employment, which could be either in political ways or voluntary. Their skills and talents should be acknowledged by others. When there are discussions happening about disabled people, there should be a leader who is there to express the disabled people view on behalf of them in the discussions. (Ministry of Social Development, 2016)

1.2

Own Advocacy Practice

1. Health and Wellbeing

They would be supported to access healthcare services at any time that they need to. They would be treated with respect by all the healthcare staff. Support would be provided to them if they have language barriers while accessing healthcare. A translator would be provided. They would receive support to access all the information about the services that they have access to. (Office for Disability Issues, 2016)

Most of the services for the disabled are funded by the Ministry of Health. Services that are funded are hearing and vision services and AutismSpectrum Disorder support. The disabled people would be educated about the services which are available to them. (Ministry of Health, 2019)

For the people who are in wheelchairs and who are not able to walk without support, they would be assisted by a carer to accompany them to the healthcare facilities to receive healthcare support that they need.

2. Accessibility

Disabled people would be supported to have access to buildings and other public facilities. The New Zealand Standards Design for Access and Mobility – Buildings and Associated Facilities states the different ways in which public places and building can be accessed by the disabled. There are parking spaces for disabled, ramps, widened footpaths, taps and toilets are made accessible to them. (Standards New Zealand, 2001)

If the people are wheelchair bounded, they are supported to access buildings through the ramps. Workplaces are made accessible to them, wide spaces to get through and reachable desks are provided. People in wheelchairs and who can not walk properly are supported to access building through lifts rather than stairs. There are public toilets for the disabled which is more spacious and easier for them to get in and use. There are seats for the disabled in movie theatres. Carers can support the disabled to access these services. Disabled people can be educated about the services that they do not know about.

3. Rights and Protection Justice

Disabled people have their own rights. They have the right to be treated equally, participate in social, economic and cultural activities, make their own decision on where they want to live and who they want to live with and they have the right to use their own language. Their rights are protected by the Human Rights Act. Support is provided to the disabled to participate in social and cultural activities. They are taken to the venues where the activities are supposed to take place. Support is provided to the person if they need to make a complaint if their being discriminated. There is a disability complaint guide on how to make a complaint. Firstly, they are supposed to warn the person to stop harassing them, if they do not listen then they are to take support from the police, Human Rights Commission or a lawyer. Support would be provided to the person to access the police services and to give warning to the person by whom he is harassed. (Human Rights Commission, 2019)

4. Choice and Control

Support is provided to the disabled to make their own choices and to reach their goals. They have a control on their life and the things that they want to do. An example of choice and control is if a disabled person wants to stay with a particular person, he/she can. Support is provided to them for their freedom. Support is provided to them by their carers or other people in the community by giving them knowledge about the things that are good for them and the things which are not. Support is provided to them from the Individualized Funding. By this funding the disabled people can progress towards their goals and they can spend it on things which will be a source of support for them. (Ministry of Health, 2019)

5. Employment and Economic Security

Support is provided to them to get equal work opportunities. Support is provided by the managers at their workplace if they are discriminated and action is taken. The workplace building is made accessible to them to come to work, such as lifts and ramps and widened paths. Their working area is spacious, for the ones in wheelchair specifically, this is to help them to move around easier. Support is provided at their workplace by hearing their opinions and views about things. Support is provided to the disabled workers to progress in their careers. The pay of the disabled people is the same as the non-disabled, this shows equality between both of them and there is no discrimination. (Office for Disability Issues, 2019)

Task 2

Health and Safety at work strategy in New Zealand The strategy is to improve the health and safety of the workers. The level of injuries caused in the workers in New Zealand is higher than the international standards. Most of the workers have a higher risk of getting injured while working, some of the people are Maori’s, old workers and youths. The New Zealand Strategy shows that how they can be more capable of improving at their workplaces to decrease the harm that is caused to the workers. It shows that how workers can work in partnership and discuss that what improvements could be made. (New Zealand Government, n.d.)

Healthcare safety in a healthcare setting in New Zealand

The people who are working in healthcare facilities are more prone to getting hurt and being exposed to chemicals and dangerous diseases. There are instructions on how healthcare workers can be safe at their workplace.

The management should work together to create a health and safety programme for the betterment of health. There should be a policy on health and safety that needs to be followed. It should state the responsibilities of the managers that who needs to do what and how are hazards and risks supposed to be identified and how can they be managed. There should be a health and safety coordinator who would work towards completing the health and safety goals. There should be proper interaction between the management and the staff. The policies should be up to date and it should include things about the visitors, healthcare staff and all the patients. Consultation takes place in the facility to make the health and safety practice at the workplace better. All the staff can interact and give their opinions on how to solve the risks that they have and can also identify any new problems that they have, it could be either major or minor. The senior management also gives their opinions and views. There is a plan with objectives and standards that need to be met with a specific time period in which it should be completed in. Audit and review are done on the standards that if it is sufficient or not. The study of the incident, accident and bad health data is done. This is basically done to see if there are any changes that need to be done. There is a system on how to identify hazards and control them. The system is the same throughout the entire facility so that there is no confusion between the workers. At first the hazards are identified and then an assessment is done and then the staff discusses on how they can control the hazards. Monitoring is done at the workplace to see if everything is safe and if the staff, patients or any other people at the facility are exposed to any type of risks and hazards. Emergency procedures are planned and all the staff is told what to do in case on an emergency. Occupational health and safety training is done. (Worksafe, 2017)

Australia

People who are considered at healthcare workers are doctors, nurses, caregivers and other staff who are there to support. Most of the injuries in healthcare facilities are causes by moving, lifting objects or patients or stretching their muscles and bodies too much which causes sprains or strains. an example is moving a person from a bed to a chair, this is known as a hazardous way of manual handling. Consultation is done by staff interacting and being involved in meetings and discussions on how to make things better and to create a better workplace. If there are any health and issues which the staff have to speak about then they can and it can be discussed by all the staff that how can that problem be solved. There is a process on how to manage the risks. The hazards are identified, it is assessed, there are ways found on how it could be controlled and it is applied. Workers are given training and the management given them a safe environment to work in. (Work safe Victoria, n.d.)

Health and safety in the UK

In order to manage the safety and health of the people at work, a risk management is taken place. The hazards and risks are identified and ways how to get rid of it is discussed. It is a law requirement that risk assessment has to be done. Risks are identified at the workplace by finding what the hazard is, think that who can be injured from the hazard and in what possible way, the risk is assessed, everything is noted down, assessment is studied again and if necessary, changes are made. (Health and Safety Executive, n.d.)

Find Out How NursingAnswers.net Can Help You!

Our academic experts are ready and waiting to assist with any writing project you may have. From simple essay plans, through to full dissertations, you can guarantee we have a service perfectly matched to your needs.

View our academic writing services

Carers help the people who need support and assistance for certain things. Safety of the workers at work can be managed when there is excellent management, well trained workers, and a setting where everyone feels like that their opinions and problems are heard. There should be a proper plan on how things should be done. If there are workers from other countries working in the facility, a few things need to be considered about them. The way that they speak and communicate, ability to read and write, the level of education that they have and their health status. If young workers who are under 18 are employed then the risks associated with it should be considered because of their less experience or no experience at all. All the incidents or accidents occurring at the workplace should be reported to RIDDOR which is the main law. The long form of it is reporting injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences regulations 2013. If there are any deaths at the workplace, injuries or accidents it should be reported immediately and it should be received to the RIDDOR within 10-15 days depending on the issue. Good moving and handling methods should be used to avoid injuries being caused. This has a key law which is manual handling operations regulations 1992. Proper training should be given to the staff members about how things should be done around the facility and how equipment’s should be used. Bed rails should be fixed properly on the beds to avoid injuries to the residents. For the tripping and falling, the hazards associated with that should be considered such as liquid spills on the floor, uneven surfaces and powder or other slippery substances on the floor. The control and prevention of infections should be done by giving knowledge to the workers on how to avoid these issues. There should be hand washing rules, proper sanitization and use of gloves. Legionella is a deadly form of pneumonia which is common in people who are above the age of 45 who smoke and consume heavy amounts of alcohol. The risks increase with a higher age. This is spread through water sources. The temperature of the waters should be managed to avoid the bacteria and also at the same time the staff should take precautions to avoid getting scalds because of the water temperatures.   (Health and Safety Executive, 2014)

Comparison

New Zealand and Australia have the same healthcare facility health and safety standards. In both the countries the management is in charge to make the workplace a better one. Policies should be followed. Trainings are given to the staff. Consultation takes place in both. Hazards are identified in both the countries using the same procedure.

The health and safety of UK is different than Australia and New Zealand. A few of the things are the same such as trainings are provided and the management works together in order to create a better workforce. They have a different policy for workers who are from other countries working in the facilities, they need to consider their education level, communication skills and health status. Australia and New Zealand does not have any specific criteria that needs to be met for migrant workers. UK has main laws under which accidents, deaths and incidents are supposed to be reported within a time period. Australia and New Zealand do not have such things, they are only to be recorded and kept at the facility. UK has key legislations for nearly all the policies in the facility. An example is the manual handling operations regulations 1992 for manual handling. Legionella is common in the UK and measures to prevent it have to be taken whereas New Zealand and Australia do not have to take such measures.

References

• Human Rights Commission. (2019). Disability Rights. Retrieved from http://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/205887
• Health and Safety Executive. (n.d.). Risk management: Health and safety in the workplace. Retrieved from http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/
• Office for Disability Issues. (2019). Outcome 2 – Employment and economic security. Retrieved from https://www.odi.govt.nz/nz-disability-strategy/employment-and-economic-security/
• New Zealand Government. (n.d.). Health and Safety at work strategy. Retrieved from https://www.mbie.govt.nz/assets/69361d5a98/health-safety-at-work-strategy-2018-2028.pdf
• Work safe Victoria. (n.d.). Healthcare and hospitals safety basics. Retrieved 10^th May, 2019 from https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/healthcare-and-hospitals-safety-basics
• Health and Safety Executive. (2014). Health and safety in care homes. Retrieved from http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg220.htm
• Standards New Zealand. (2001, April 2). Design for Access and Mobility – Buildings and Associated Facilities. Retrieved from https://www.standards.govt.nz/assets/Publication-files/NZS4121-2001.pdf
• Ministry of Social Development. (2016, November). New Zealand Disability Strategy 2016-2026. Retrieved from https://www.odi.govt.nz/assets/New-Zealand-Disability-Strategy-files/pdf-nz-disability-strategy-2016.pdf
• Office for Disability Issues. (2016, November 21). Outcome 3 – Health and wellbeing. Retrieved from https://www.odi.govt.nz/nz-disability-strategy/outcome-3-health-and-wellbeing/#accordion-76-heading
• Worksafe. (2017, September 6). Health and safety in healthcare. Retrieved from https://treasury.govt.nz/publications/wp/ageing-new-zealand-population-1881-2051-wp-03-27-html
• Ministry of Health. (2019, January 14). Disability Services. Retrieved from https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/hsprograms/risk_assessment.html
• Ministry of Health. (2019, January 23). New model for supporting disabled people. Retrieved from https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/disability-services/disability-projects/new-model-supporting-disabled-people#cicl