Fleming sent ‘heartfelt’ email: did not write it
AN email sent by the Southern District Health Board chief executive Chris Fleming acknowledging the hard work of staff on International Nurses Day is at the centre of controversy — because he did not actually write it.
Screenshots of the message sent to nurses show the entire email thread was accidentally attached to the message, revealing that Mr Fleming asked someone else to write the email that was then sent on his behalf.
The email, sent from Mr Fleming’s email account, had the subject line ‘‘Celebrating International Nurses Day: A heartfelt thank you’’.
‘‘I especially want to acknowledge your hard work, commitment and dedication to your patients over the last two years as we have navigated through the pandemic and all its challenges,’’ the email read.
The email was signed by Mr Fleming.
However, below the message, the email thread revealed he had asked someone else to write it for him.
‘‘Chris just called and asked if you could please craft a message out to our nurses on behalf of Chris, ELT and the board acknowledging the great work they do,’’ the next email in the thread said.
The original message was sent at 12.17pm and just three minutes later, at 12.20pm, Mr Fleming recalled the email, as shown by screenshots seen by
An SDHB spokesman said that it was common practice for such messages to be sent on behalf of senior leaders, including the chief executive.
‘‘Sometimes these messages are drafted by other members of staff, provided to the manager to ensure it reflects their views, and then sent on their behalf, rather than that manager drafting the message on their own,’’ the spokesman said.
‘‘This can be for many reasons, including the manager travelling or having other commitments on the day.
‘‘In this instance, an error was made in that the entire email trail was sent, rather than simply the intended message, and thus was recalled.’’
Mr Fleming is Southern DHB’s outgoing chief executive. He announced his resignation last month.
He is stepping down to pursue new business opportunities with his family, a statement from the SDHB said last month. —