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