DSP Reform # 14 – listening to professionals

The PEI health system has many professionals who specialize in treatment of disabling conditions. There are doctors like physiatrists , family physicians, orthopedic doctors, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and many others. These professionals can help with treatment and recommending assistive devices like braces, wheelchairs, etc.

Over at the Disability Support Program, they don’t have any of those people. They have social workers, clerical staff and accountants. They have some experience but not enough in physical and rehabilitative medicine to make judgement calls.

We have on PEI perfectly competent medical practitioners who are trained, licensed and experienced to give medical opinions. Why are the untrained, unlicensed and inexperienced DSP Case Workers and their supervisors allowed to over-ride the medical professionals?

That’s why Islanders with disabilities would like the DSP staff to start listening to the professionals and stop interjecting their own opinions about what is needed. What’s the use of going to doctors when we could get “expert diagnosis” from untrained DSP staff?

The DSP Policy Manual says “may” get medical opinion. We believe it should read “will” or “shall”

The Disability Support Worker may request additional opinion(s) from another health-care
practitioner, if they deem it necessary (Refer to Section 8.6.2).
4.4.4 Examples of health-care practitioners from which medical consultations may be requested are:
a) physician/surgeon;
b) optometrist;
c) occupational therapist;
d) physiotherapist;
e) school psychologist; and/or
f) speech language pathologist.

We have on PEI perfectly competent medical practitioners who are trained, licensed and experienced to give medical opinions. Why are the untrained, unlicensed and inexperienced DSP Case Workers and their supervisors allowed to over-ride the medical professionals?

I’ll tell you why: to save money because that’s what the DSP is all about “the corporate culture of cost containment/cost avoidance” (Baker Report) It’s time to put the DSP back to what it should be, a part of the PEI health delivery system that respects our PEI medical professionals.