She hadn't realised there was a safety strap on the trolley so didn't use it. Her infant was saved from falling out - in the nick of time - by a staff member.

Many injuries

ACC data shows in the five years since 2019, almost 1,100 claims related to babies or toddlers and shopping trolleys have been made.

Over 100 were for children under one-year-old. Older children are also at risk.

In 2019 there were:

• 306 new claims lodged for children under the age of six
• 21 involving children under the age of one
• 80 were aged between one and two
• 76 were between two and three.

ACC data relies on information provided at the time of the claim. It is possible therefore that the number of children being injured at the supermarket could be higher than recorded.

An old problem

Back in 2016, ACC data revealed over 400 babies had been injured by trolleys in the previous year.

Some supermarkets were considering using in-store signage to encourage parents to safely restrain their children in trolleys.

Now it's 2024. Fewer accidents are being reported.

But signage doesn't appear to be widespread.

Some supermarkets, like Pak'nSave, play audio messages encouraging parents to properly restrain their children.

Woolworths stores have printed information on trolley handlebars about their correct use.

Accidents are still occurring.

Options

Most stores provide trolleys for people with young children.

Some have booster-seat attachments designed for babies, others a cage-like seat for older children.

Woolworths say they regularly check their trolleys' safety features.

Worksafe says under the Health and Safety at Work Act, supermarkets must ensure other people's health and safety is "not put at risk from work carried out as part of the conduct of the business or undertaking".

The safety guidelines for trolleys are less stringent than for other baby-carrying devices like prams or car seats.

Plunket comment

Whanau Awhina Plunket says young children need to be within arm's reach at the supermarket.

That goes for any activity where a child is seated above the ground.

Active supervision and strapping them in where a harness is provided is key to keeping young children safe .

Source

• The Spinoff

The End of Life Choice Act, which legalised euthanasia in 2019, has insufficient safeguards, Te Pati says.

It wants to amend the Act to ensure disabled people are not targeted.

The moves are part of Te Pati's new wide-ranging "disability policy".

Te Pati's co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, says the policy responds to systemic racism and the country's inequitable treatment of disabled people.

"We are committed to being a movement that leaves nobody behind and being a voice for those who are constantly being marginalised in Aotearoa."

Te Pati Maori is committed to ensuring disabled people are treated with dignity and respect, with their rights upheld, she says.

It also intends to establish a Mana Haua (Disability Rights) Authority to direct 25 percent of all disability funding.

In addition, the new policy package aims to ensure Maori disability groups are included when all disability-related policy and legislation is being developed.

Addressing the unequal support disabled people receive from the ACC and the Ministry of Health is another policy feature.

Currently, people born with disabilities receive less support from the Ministry of Health than people with accident-related disabilities whom the ACC supports and building standard reform is on the agenda to ensure they are fully accessible.

Currently, only commercial buildings need to provide accessibility for disabled people. Residential builds do not.

Te Pati's policy proposes retrofitting existing State homes to meet universal design standards to ensure they are wheelchair-accessible.

Finally, income support abatement rates for disabled people earning an income would be abolished. So would reductions in income support when disabled people enter relationships.

Source

• Stuff

Its national waitlist figures indicate failed attempts by sex abuse survivors to get mental health help increased by 387 percent and reaching 4131 in the most recent quarter from 847.

ACC says the waits are a result of a lack of capacity among its sensitive claims mental health service suppliers.

One applicant says she contacted every Wellington mental health supplier and dozens of therapists on ACC's accredited list this year and got rejection after rejection.

"It makes you want to cry ... knowing that even if you want help there's no one out there that can because their load's already too big."

Her choices were an appointment in about a year, or sooner with a trainee psychologist sitting in on the sessions. Then, when she managed to get an appointment, it was cancelled because of COVID lockdowns.

Wellington Rape Crisis general manager Kyla Rayner says demand is the highest Rape Crisis has ever seen.

Many sensitive claim mental health support suppliers simply do not have room on their books to take more people on.

Waitlist times are far longer in some places. In the three months to May they averaged up to 25 weeks in Lower Hutt, 22 in Nelson and 20 in Masterton.

The size of waitlists have also grown. The number of spots claimed by people has more than doubled, up 124 percent in the past 15 months - from 656 to 1473.

Green Party ACC spokesperson Jan Logie says delays compound the harm to survivors.

"It's an absolute failure of our system."

ACC says the figures are a snapshot provided by services as part of a quarterly survey. They don't include people who get immediate treatment, so avoid waitlists.

Only a third of suppliers offer a waitlist.

ACC also says annual sensitive claims have more than doubled in five years to nearly 13,000, jumping 20 percent each year since 2014.

It has more than doubled the number of sensitive claims therapists in that time to 1990, with nearly 500 coming onboard in the past three years. It has also made it easier and faster for suppliers to bring on new therapists.

ACC says it has not been able to close the gap between supply and demand.

"Media coverage, the #metoo movement, the Royal Commission of Inquiry in Abuse in Care investigation, societal trends, and awareness-raising prevention campaigns are changing attitudes towards sexual violence, which we believe is resulting in more survivors of sexual violence feeling they can seek help."

Paul Skirrow from the College of Clinical Psychologists says the mental toll on clinicians from working with sexual assault survivors meant many only worked part time.

"There's actually ACC guidance that says that you shouldn't spend more than 50 percent of your time doing this kind of work. So we're talking about a number there but that might be a very small number of appointments available that it might translate to."

Source

• RNZ
• Image: Barry, Barall & Spinella