Formal Apology From Former Richmond Employee

Formal Apology From Former Richmond Employee

“I unreservedly retract all statements or allegations concerning the practices and governance of Richmond Fellowship New Zealand or the members of its board, management or staff which have been made by me in breach of the confidentiality provisions of my employment contract with Richmond Fellowship New Zealand.

I accept the outcome of the recent Ministry of Health review, which expresses confidence in the practices and governance of Richmond Fellowship New Zealand.

I acknowledge that my actions in pursuing my concerns have been unacceptable to the Richmond Fellowship New Zealand and others and may have caused damage, distress and discomfort to members of the board, management and staff of Richmond Fellowship New Zealand.

I unreservedly undertake to comply in future with the confidentiality provisions of my employment contract with Richmond Fellowship New Zealand and I undertake not to make, or cause to be made, any further statements or allegations concerning the management of governance of Richmond Fellowship New Zealand unless compelled to do so by law.

I unreservedly apologise to the members of the board, management and staff of Richmond Fellowship New Zealand for any distress or discomfort they may have felt as a result of my actions.”

Paul D Bradley [Former Director of Human Resources – Richmond Fellowship]

Richmond Fellowship has received an unreserved apology from a former employee about unacceptable allegations in a now discredited internal report and subsequent comments to the media about the financial management of the organisation.

Details of the substantial financial settlement in favour of Richmond Fellowship as a result of formal mediation are confidential. The intention is to use the settlement to establish a research fund into the community support of people who have complex needs. More information about this new research fund will be made public later this year once the details are finalised.

“The apology and settlement is the final chapter in what can only be described as an unfortunate situation that was driven by a disgruntled employee. It is unfortunate that this person chose to subject the organisation, other staff and most importantly, our clients and their families to the stress of dealing with allegations that were quite simply wrong and without any basis,” says Chief Executive, Dr Gerry Walmisley.

The allegations in the discredited internal report also led to a review of the organisation’s management and governance by the Ministry of Health.

In a media release, Ministry spokesperson, Todd Krieble, who managed the review, said it gave the Ministry “a reassurance that the Government can have confidence in Richmond’s spending of public money.”

When the review was released, Richmond stated that the review demonstrated that the organisation has robust systems in place to deliver services as specified in its contracts with public sector organisations.

“At the time, I also acknowledged, and still do, that there has been tremendous growth in the sector in the last decade and Richmond has taken measures to improve its services in line with the two recommendations in the review,” says Dr Walmisley.

“Our organisation increasingly works with people who have the most complex needs and at times, are not catered for within existing services. The government departments with whom we work recognise that some people require individual and specialist programmes. This is a challenging area and Richmond is recognised internationally for developing models of support that meet the needs of the individual person. The client comes first rather than slotting them into whatever service comes closest to meeting their needs.”

“I want to thank all the clients, their families and professionals within the industry who have made contact with us to voice their support for the organisation during this difficult time. It is time to move on and our focus firmly remains on developing and delivering effective services for vulnerable people. As always, we will also continue to take a critical look at our operation so we can continue to develop and improve our services,” concluded Dr Walmisley.

Background

Richmond Fellowship is one of New Zealand’s largest providers of health and support services throughout the country. Richmond has more than 170 contracts with various government agencies, providing support for around 2000 clients. Services include support programmes for people with significant psychiatric or psychological issues, respite and emergency support, consumer based drop-in services, specialist youth services, services for people with multiple disabilities and primary health services.

For more information about the organisation and for a copy of the recent Ministry of Health review, please check our website – www.richmondnz.org

© Scoop Media