Healthcare provider behaviour guidelines

We are committed to having good, positive relationships with healthcare providers.

We have a duty to protect and support our staff, their health and safety and to provide a safe workplace. We are committed to taking all necessary steps to prevent or manage unacceptable behaviour by healthcare providers and minimise harm from interactions where healthcare provider behaviour may negatively impact our staff.

These guidelines have been developed to help manage situations where our staff encounter unacceptable behaviour from healthcare providers by setting out:

• what could be considered unacceptable behaviour
• what we may do in such situations to manage unacceptable behaviour and its impact.

What is unacceptable behaviour?

Most healthcare providers who we interact with act professionally, reasonably and responsibly. However, in a small number of cases, our staff experience behaviour by healthcare providers that is unreasonable and unacceptable.

The Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) has a Statement on unprofessional behaviour which their members are expected to follow. We subscribe to this statement as a minimum requirement of healthcare provider behaviour, to ensure there is a clear understanding and consistency for healthcare providers regarding expectations for conduct and professionalism.

We consider that when a healthcare provider behaves in any of these ways their behaviour is unacceptable for the purposes of these guidelines.

To be clear we do not accept any harm, abuse or threats directed at our staff at any time, particularly when they are trying to do their job. Any behaviour of this kind by a healthcare provider towards our staff will result in the following:

• an investigation by Southern Cross, including capturing feedback from the affected Southern Cross staff member(s), others who witnessed the behaviour, the healthcare provider and the organisation concerned
• preparation of an investigation report
• a review of the investigation report by the Southern Cross Chief of Healthcare Partnerships
• the outcome of the investigation being communicated to relevant parties
• recommended actions being taken in line with these guidelines (see below).

Any such behaviour from our staff towards healthcare providers will undergo a similar investigation.

Possible actions for unacceptable behaviour

Depending on the behaviour, Southern Cross may take the following action/s:

• request formally in writing that discussions and meetings are handled in a courteous and reasonable manner and that any unacceptable behaviour ceases immediately
• request that someone else from the healthcare provider’s organisation undertakes discussions/ interactions in relation to the contractual relationship
• raise the unacceptable behaviour with the organisation’s CEO or Board of the healthcare provider to discuss concerns and implications
• report the healthcare provider or organisation to the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ)
• report the healthcare provider or organisation to the relevant medical college/association
• formally put the contract holder of the AP agreement on notice and explain the potential consequences should further unacceptable behaviour occur.

Southern Cross Medical Care Society (trading as Southern Cross Health Society) is a licensed insurer and a licensed financial advice provider. For more information about the financial advice service we provide and a copy of our public disclosure statement please visit southerncross.co.nz/disclosure-statement.

Southern Cross Medical Care Society (trading as Southern Cross Health Society) has an A+ (Strong) financial strength rating given by Standard & Poor’s (Australia) Pty Limited. The rating scale is: AAA (Extremely Strong), AA (Very Strong), A (Strong), BBB (Good), BB (Marginal), B (Weak), CCC (Very Weak), CC (Extremely Weak), SD or D (Selective Default or Default). Ratings from ‘AA’ to ‘CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories. Full details of the rating scale are available at www.spglobal.com/ratings/en/about/intro-to-credit-ratings. Standard & Poor’s is an approved rating agency under the Insurance (Prudential Supervision) Act 2010.