31 May 2018
ACC review of organisational culture needs to be open and transparent

The senior doctors’ union is calling for a review into the conduct of ACC’s chief executive and the organisation’s culture to be open and transparent.

“Our members are pleased a review is being carried out but they will be disappointed that it’s happening behind closed doors,” says Lloyd Woods, Senior Industrial Officer at the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS).

He was commenting on reports of the secretive review by Queen’s Counsel Hugh Rennie (https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/104231259/acc-calls-in-top-queens-counsel-to-review-allegations).
News of the review comes just days after ASMS raised concerns about proposed changes that would slash ACC’s medical advisory staffing by almost 20% (https://www.asms.org.nz/news/asms-news/2018/05/23/acc-proposes-slashing-medical-advisory-staffing/).

“We’re very concerned about the impact of these changes if they go ahead, as well as the process which so far includes keeping staff in the dark, failing to adequately involve them in planning, and failing to adequately consult them,” says Mr Woods.

“These are all signs of a dysfunctional organisational culture, and we’d like to communicate our concerns to the review that’s being carried out. We trust that Hugh Rennie will be looking at ACC’s culture more widely than just the senior management layer, and considering the impact on the organisation’s values and practices.

“The current proposal to cut more than 100 roles in ACC’s clinical services directorate is part of the ‘Shaping Our Future’ project, which has clearly not considered the future of the long-serving, dedicated medical staff who stand to lose jobs under this flawed process.

“A review is welcome but it should not be carried out in the dark.”
ENDS

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