Physiotherapy and Hand Therapy

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Applicable Standards
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Applicable Standard(s):

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Required: ACC require providers to be certificated under certain contracts. If you are required to have certification then you can select to either be accredited to the NZS8171:2005 Allied Health Service Sector Standard or ACC Requirements for Physiotherapy Services. 

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The Certification is for four years with a mid-point surveillance. After four years this becomes an off-site surveillance if conditions for this are met.

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General Process:

To view the general audit process please click here

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Frequently asked questions

General

What is the recommendation from DAA on which audit to take?

This depends on the preparation work you wish to or need to do. If your current system for Allied Health Standard is working well and you do not need to do anything before the audit you will have no additional work resources to prepare for the audit.If you choose to move to the new contract you will need to put resources into revising your documented policies and procedures to meet the requirements of the new standard.



We are Physiotherapy and Hand Therapy, will it be one audit or two?

The audit can be combined and cover both parts of your business.



Do I need to fill in the entire self-assessment form?

Yes. This form is for you to prepare for the audit. You simply select yes or no, and add a comment if applicable.



We need a certification audit - what standards do we need to comply with and how can I get a copy?

NZS 8171:2005 Allied Health Services Sector Standard You can purchase from Standards New Zealand -https://shop.standards.govt.nz/catalog/8171%3A2005%28NZS%29/view ACC Requirements for Physiotherapy Services. Provided free online https://www.acc.co.nz/assets/contracts/2a1228abdf/ACC-Requirements-for-Physiotherapy-and-Hand-Therapy-Services.pdf



How long is the certification period?

The certification period is for four years with an interim onsite surveillance audit at the two year mark.



Who is the certifying body?

The DAA Group are the certifying body for these standards.



Certification

What documents do the auditors require?

A documentation request letter will be sent pre-audit, as part of stage one of the audit process. Your policy and procedure documents and completed self-assessment are required approximately six weeks prior to the audit date. This is for your first certification audit only, or if you change from Allied Health to ACC and vice versa, and will not be required for subsequent audits. We will also provide a handy checklist which assists you with preparing the documents we need for the first stage of the audit.



Who are the auditors that come to our facility?

The auditors will have a clinical background and competencies within the physiotherapy sector. They have also completed trainings against the specific recognised standards for auditing. They are supported by our office based team and have regular mentoring and other trainings to minimise variance between auditors.



What happens after an audit?

A report is prepared and peer reviewed prior to the facility receiving a final copy of the audit report. The facility is also required to plan what actions they will take if any areas of improvement are identified. The auditor(s) will explain this part of the process at the closing meeting at the end of the audit.



Do we receive a certificate?

You will receive an unframed A4 certificate, that you can proudly display to recognise your achievement. You can purchase a framed A3 certificate for $150.



How many auditors will visit us and do you try to get a locally-based auditor?

The audit requires one auditor. We have experienced auditors currently based in Taupo and Auckland. We will always try to get the closest auditor to attend.



How long does a Physiotherapy or Hand therapy certification audit take?

Audits are up to 8 hours on site to complete. If there are multiple sites included in the one certificate which need to be visited, additional time will need to be added to the audit.



What happens onsite during an audit?

We will provide you with an itinerary prior to the audit date. Our auditor will start with a meeting to introduce themselves and plan the day with you. We need to meet with staff, review records, review the environment, follow some of your practices through and talk with some consumers of your service. We will also review some of your management systems. The clinic needs to be operating on the day of audit.



Surveillance

When and why is a surveillance required?

A surveillance audit is always required for this certification, and is undertaken to ensure the service is maintaining safe practice and to follow up of the progress made against all corrective actions identified at the certification audit. A minimum of one surveillance audit at the midpoint of certification is required to maintain certification - in this case 24 months. This audit can be scheduled two months either side of the due date. The surveillance audit is usually on-site audit, but can sometimes be conducted off-site if qualifying conditions are met.



We are considering moving premises in the near term - what happens to our certification?

Your certification will follow it's normal cycle, however the next certification or surveillance audit will need to check that the policies and procedures have adapted to the new site. If your facility had been eligible for an off-site surveillance audit it will revert to being an onsite audit.