Experts: Labtests staff numbers still light

The safety team are extending their time at Labtests. Photo / Greg Bowker

Labtests' database of health workers who order tests has been of "poor quality" and the new company's staffing "light", say experts sent in to help fix its problems.

The Herald obtained three documents yesterday about Labtests from Auckland's district health boards, following requests under the Official Information Act, but was permitted to keep only two of them.

The third, Labtests' transition plan, was opened to the newspaper following the Ombudsman's intervention, but we had to hand it back after reading it, because of the company's concerns that its competitor, Diagnostic Medlab (DML), could gain a commercial advantage if it received a copy.

The first two documents outline the problems that led the DHBs last month to return 10 per cent of the work covered by their community laboratory contract to the previous provider, DML, just weeks after Labtests had taken on the full patient load.

The seven-member team of DHB officials appointed in September to address quality and safety problems at Labtests says in its first report that key issues include the clinician database, poor management of home-visit tests, and instances of poor practice by phlebotomists taking blood samples.

The report, for the six weeks to October 26, indicates that the poor quality of the database has caused some results to be sent to the wrong doctor.

Labtests' transition plan, dated February and which describes to the DHBs the company's preparations to take over the contract in August, says it had "completed" the task of compiling the database of referring clinicians' addresses, phone numbers, emergency contact numbers and other details.

Labtests said yesterday that its statement in February did not mean the company had told the DHBs that the task of compiling the database was a finished work. Databases needed to be constantly updated.

Soon after the quality and safety team intervened, Labtests wrote to all referring clinicians to update after-hours emergency contact numbers and other details.

The quality and safety team's report said the group, which started work on September 14, was originally expected to be needed for up to six weeks, but was now anticipated to continue until next month.

Labtests was making "steady progress" to fix key issues, but more slowly than had been hoped.

A report by Waikato pathologist Dr Ian Beer said he was impressed with Labtests' equipment but its staffing was "light".

Fifty-five per cent of Labtests' phlebotomy technicians were qualified, compared with 80 per cent at DML's. Staff in the laboratory were coping by bringing in locums or sending some pathology slides out of Auckland.

Dr Beer also suggested the price cut in changing from DML to Labtests was too great.

He said Labtests was being paid $47.86 per head of Auckland population this year, a cut of about $17 from several years ago.