Inquiry finds Omicron response put Northland disabled people at risk

Whangārei advocacy organisation Tiaho Trust CEO Jonny Wilkinson said the Omicron outbreak has impacted the capacity for care services for the disabled. Photo / Tania Whyte

The Northland disabled community agree that their well-being was put at risk by the Covid response after an urgent inquiry by the Human Rights Commission.

Disability Rights Commissioner Paula Tesoriero launched the inquiry in March into the support of disabled people during the Omicron outbreak under the Human Rights Act 1993.

Whangārei-based advocacy organisation Tiaho Trust CEO Jonny Wilkinson agreed that the Omicron response disrupted disability support services, effectively putting some disabled Northlanders into isolation.

"It really highlighted the lack of residential and respite options for disabled people who need that level of support.

Whangārei advocacy organisation Tiaho Trust CEO Jonny Wilkinson said the Omicron outbreak has impacted the capacity for care services for the disabled. Photo / Tania Whyte

"When crisis comes along, there's nowhere for people to go... those services and support are struggling."

The inquiry found there was a lack of partnership with disabled people and their whānau in the Government response to Covid 19, which Wilkinson reiterates.

"I think (disabled) people are in survival mode. Those who haven't had Omicron really don't want to get it.

"I think it's a lack of planning and a reluctance to provide that level of support."

Disability is a broad term encapsulating a large range of needs, Wilkinson noted, so a broad range of options are needed in crisis response.

A Whangārei mother who lives with a daughter who has paranoid schizophrenia, who the Northern Advocate has chosen not to name, spent three months without a carer after theirs left when the vaccine mandate was rolled out.

"It's been very hard to try and find someone that has been vaccinated," said the mother.

The mother said the number of carers dwindled when the vaccine mandate began, and support services were reduced to avoid the spread of Omicron within vulnerable communities.

"I had to stop doing my things... but I managed, one day for myself and the rest I tried to do it with (my daughter)."

It's a double-edged sword for the Whangārei mother, who said the high uptake of vaccination in New Zealand gives her peace of mind for the safety of her daughter.

Disability Advisory Group NZ CEO Glen McMillan, from Whangārei, agreed with the findings of the report and said the increase in the Covid daily death toll since the arrival of Omicron is a big concern for disabled people.

"I think the response does put the disabled at greater risk. The relaxing of the rules means more will catch Covid and a greater likelihood of having Covid enter the homes of disabled people who will be at greater risk."

Disability Advisory Group NZ CEO Glen McMillan said Omicron has exasperated Northland's already struggling health services, which puts disabled people at risk. Photo / John Stone

The relaxation of rules as cases surged was a large source of anxiety, says McMillan.

"Many disabled people are concerned by the lack of mask use by members of the public and a lack of awareness of the need to social distance from those at high risk."

McMillan said Northland's disabled community are particularly affected by the issue due to the shortage of GPs in the region.

"Northland already has a health crisis. An appointment with your GP is maybe a four or five-week wait - you can see an urgent doctor but they will know nothing about you.

"A disabled person needs better access to medical assistance, a four-week wait is unacceptable."

McMillan has a voice disability which he says makes phone consultations difficult, highlighting how the reliance on digital information and phone lines without enough alternate formats made information hard to access for some disabled people.

"I have breathing disabilities. I would require the best antiviral drugs at the onset, but if I cannot speak to or see a doctor who understands my disabilities I may not get what I need.

"Moving to an online tech approach also leaves many disabled people out of the picture, partly because of the cost of internet connections."

In 2019 the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) reported that those with health conditions or disabilities make up over half of those requiring financial assistance.

"People receiving a benefit because they have a health condition or disability, or care for a person with a health condition or a disability, make up 53 per cent of all working-age benefit recipients."

Overall, both Wilkinson and McMillan agreed that they still felt New Zealand's Covid response was one of the best in the world, but the findings of the report highlighted some of the issues that disabled people face in Northland already.

"I think New Zealand has certainly done a good job, one of the best, but many disabled not being tech-savvy have dropped off the radar," McMillan said.

"I always feel lucky to live in New Zealand and be a New Zealander," Wilkinson said.

"But at the same time, disabled people are always going to be the last cab on the rank, they're always going to be right at the end of any kind of crisis.

"It's a global phenomenon."