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Community-based health

Advocacy is an empowering process

Embarrassment at work over CTO for tuberculosis

Advocacy is an empowering process

Maori health provider ~ Right 5 ~ effective communication ~ Right 6 ~ fully informed

A consumer relayed to an advocate that she had been receiving services from two Maori provider groups. One of those had recently advised they were withdrawing their services. The consumer felt this decision was based on the fact she was not Maori rather then the explanation she had been given which was that as she had another service provider they could not work with her.

During discussion on the options available through the advocacy process, the consumer advised she did not want to meet the provider but wanted a letter sent and would need advocacy support with the letter as she had literacy issues. 

The provider wrote back to the consumer and as she was unhappy with the information and the use of words she did not understand she contacted the advocate to arrange a meeting with the provider. Prior to the meeting the advocate contacted the consumer to discuss the process. Although the consumer was nervous, she was reassured by the fact the advocate would be there for support and that the advocate was well versed in the consumer's issues. 

Having heard the consumer's concerns the provider explained that the criteria for access to their service had changed.  The new process was to go through the NASC for assessment and the consumer did not meet the criteria. As she was already receiving services from another provider they discharged her from their service. The consumer stated that she would like an apology from her support worker for not communicating this to her when she was discharged. 

Following the meeting the advocate contacted the consumer to see if she had received an apology, which she had. The consumer said she was happy with the outcome and felt she had "done it all by herself". She felt truly empowered by the process.

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Embarrassment at work over CTO for tuberculosis

Public Health ~ Right 1 ~ respect ~ tuberculosis (TB) ~ Compulsory Treatment Order (CTO)

The consumer, a young Kenyan woman, phoned the advocacy service with concerns about a Compulsory Treatment Order (CTO) which required her to take medication in front of a public health nurse at her place of employment.

Some months earlier she was diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) and as a result she was referred to the public health section for communicable diseases.

The consumer's concern was that she was required her to leave whatever she was doing to meet the nurse outside the grounds to receive the medication. She also felt her privacy was being compromised as her employer did not know that she had tested positive for TB.

The consumer sought advocacy assistance to request she be able to self medicate or if that was not possible then could the public health nurse change the time she delivered the medication so the consumer would receive it after work at her home. 

At the request of the consumer the advocate sent an email to the public health section requesting they reconsider their treatment order and allow the consumer to self medicate. In response, the advocate received a call from the Registrar who advised that she was going overseas for a week and that she would contact the service on her return.

As agreed, the Registrar phoned on her return and advised that she would set up an appointment with the consumer to do more tests in the hope that she will not need to take any further medication.  

The consumer was elated with the response and attended the appointment. Following the appointment the consumer advised the advocate she would only require medication for another month and that as requested the medicine would be delivered to her at her home.