Image credit: BLVNZ

Blind and Low Vision New Zealand (BLVNZ) has launched an independent culture review following complaints about the treatment of clients and staff.

Triggering the review were several complaints made to Blind Citizens New Zealand by its members, leading the patient advocacy group to call for a review publicly. “Some concerns raised publicly relate to service delivery and changes made to the services offered by BLVNZ. Others relate to concerns about staff turnover and what that means for the blind and low vision community,” said Blind Citizens president Jonathan Godfrey.

More than 50 complaints have also been lodged with the union E tū by former and current staff members, reported the NZ Herald, with one former staffer telling the paper the change in culture since the launch of BLVNZ’s new strategic direction last year had been “horrendous”. “We were like a family, a whānau, and the professionalism – everybody just worked like Trojans… to form that jigsaw puzzle of services that helped people thrive with blindness… That has just all been destroyed.” The call for a review is all about making sure everyone can share their concerns, said Godfrey.

The BLVNZ board said the culture review will focus on service delivery, employee relations and its relationship with consumer groups. “One of the reasons for our organisational culture review is to ensure that we have positioned our teams to serve our members and clients as effectively and efficiently as possible. I would like to reassure everyone that service provision will not change during the review. All services to clients and eye health professionals will remain as they are today,” said Judy Small, chair of BLVNZ’s governing body, the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind.

BLVNZ is now in the process of seeking an organisation to manage and carry out the review.