Health board accused of misleading union leaders

A union has accused the Taranaki District Health Board of misleading it and evading its responsibilities to staff over proposed changes to laboratory services.

Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Ian Powell sent a strongly-worded letter to Taranaki DHB chief executive Rosemary Clements, which says the DHB misled the association over its intentions.

Pathology and laboratory services are currently available through the hospital with Labcare or at Medlab Taranaki in the community.

But in December 2016 the Taranaki DHB decided to change the way the services were delivered in Taranaki, and move to a single laboratory provider for hospital and community services.

The DHB planned to go to tender this month to find a provider for the services.

The letter expressed the association’s ‘‘deep disappointment at the level of engagement and consultation over the board’s approach to the Taranaki hospitals laboratory services’’.

Its approach marginalised the union and its members, he wrote.

‘‘In short the association believes that DHB has deliberately set out to evade its responsibilities to consult with the association over the terms of any review of the laboratory services.’’ The process made it impossible for Medlab, as a small private laboratory, to deliver, he wrote. ‘‘In other words the process was set up for Medlab to fail.’’

The TDHB had been in talks with Medlab, which had been providers of 50 per cent of the DHB’s business, about taking over the contract, but then decided to go to open tender.

Taranaki DHB planning and funding general manager Becky Jenkins denied the process set Medlab up to fail.

‘‘The DHB has completed a comprehensive direct procurement process and after very careful consideration Taranaki DHB has decided not to proceed any further.’’

And Jenkins said the DHB had not mislead the union.

‘‘Taranaki DHB has been clear from the outset about its plans for Pathology and Laboratory Services. There was engagement with staff and stakeholders during the development of this strategy.’’

The plan was outlined in the Strategic Directions for Pathology and Laboratory Services in the Taranaki Region which has been publicly available on its website since December last year.

‘‘Although there are no pathologists employed by the DHB, its other senior medical officers are ASMS members and a number of them have provided expert advice through out this process.’’