Australian laboratory service gets nod
Integrated service attracts criticism
Partial privatisation looks likely for the Wellington region’s medical laboratory services.
The Capital Coast, Hutt Valley and Wairarapa district health boards confirmed on Monday that Southern Community Laboratories is the preferred provider of integrated hospital and community laboratory services for all three.
The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists has severely criticised the decision, calling it ‘‘flawed’’ and ‘‘lacking in robust financial analysis’’.
Southern Community Laboratories is wholly owned by Australian private medical services provider, Healthscope.
Aotea Pathology withdrew its bid at the beginning of February leaving Southern Community Laboratories the sole contender.
Capital and Coast and Hutt Valley health boards chairwoman Virginia Hope said the specifications for the integrated hospital and community laboratory tender included developing a new multimillion-dollar, state-ofthe-art laboratory at Wellington Hospital and upgraded equipment at Wairarapa, Hutt, and Kenepuru hospitals; improved computer systems allowing general practitioners and hospital specialists access to all laboratory results; and improved access to community blood collection.
‘‘Given the benefits experienced elsewhere in New Zealand, we believe there are opportunities to improve laboratory services by having an integrated laboratory,’’ she said.
The new service was expected to be implemented on November 1. The three boards are expected to save money from substantial economies of scale, Hope said.
Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Ian Powell said the process had been flawed from the start.
The three Wellington regional district health boards had failed to provide any good financial analysis of the benefits, he said.
More than 70 per cent of decisions on patient care depended on laboratory work and any restructuring would have a major impact on health care.
The three health boards’ Service Integration and Development Unit Development Unit director, Ashley Bloomfield, declined to answer questions on how long the contract period would be, saying the information was commercially sensitive.
Nor did he answer questions on whether Southern Community Laboratories’ equity in the hospital labs would prevent any other tenderer bidding for the contract in the future.
Asked how large were the benefits that had been seen in other regions, Bloomfield said they had to be ‘‘considered within the framework of the national Health Quality and Safety Commission’s ‘Triple Aim’ which is improved quality, safety and experience of care, improved health and equity for all populations, and the best value for public health system resources’’.
‘‘Population health has been improved by providing high needs areas with better access to collection services, and the district health boards have also been able to achieve improved value for money by allowing the reinvestment of money saved from significant efficiency gains in other frontline health services.’’
Satellite collection centres might change buildings but would remain nearby, except one in Courtenay Place, which would close.
More collection services could be provided in high needs areas and mobile services would remain.