Vote tally reveals split over lab switch

The Auckland District Health Board was divided when it voted behind closed doors over the next step in switching to a new community laboratory provider.

The Herald learned yesterday, after asking last month, that the board was split 7:4 when it approved the notice ending its contract with Diagnostic Medlab, to allow Labtests Auckland to start on September 7.

The Court of Appeal last year ordered that Labtests start providing its service under its reinstated contract with the Auckland region's three district health boards "as soon as it can reasonably be achieved".

The board decided on the termination notice at an emergency meeting with the public excluded on March 4.

The Waitemata and Counties Manukau boards passed similar resolutions unanimously.

The boards' project manager for the transition, Tim Wood, told the Herald one board was not unanimous in its decision, but did not say which one.

But Auckland board chairman Pat Snedden yesterday revealed it was his board and, after deciding he could not legally withhold the voting details, named those for, and those against.

"I think the vote reflected a degree of unease about the fact a new board had picked up this process from previous boards. For those of us who had been on previous boards, we were clear about the direction of travel. For new board members this was a fairly large decision to have to be made and it reflected a nervousness about it.

"It reflected for some of them a sense in which they hadn't been involved in the original decision and therefore they felt not necessarily bound by that original decision. However for those of us who had been around a while on this it was clear that this was the pathway to be taken."

Brian Fergus, an elected member, said he opposed the notice because he had "always had doubts about the process and the outcome" of the community laboratory tendering. However, the board had to respect the court order.

Mr Wood said yesterday that the company had produced an implementation plan. It covered matters including staff hiring and when it would have blood test analyser machines and computer systems in place at its Mt Wellington laboratory building.

The boards had set up a clinical advisory group and an operational review group to oversee the transition. They were devising a series of audits to check that the milestones were properly met, Mr Wood said.

A preliminary review found no "insurmountable gaps" in Labtests' plan, but more work was needed in critical areas including recruitment and establishing collection centres.

* How they voted

To approve an Auckland District Health Board notice ending its community laboratory contract with Diagnostic Medlab

For: Pat Snedden, Harry Burkhardt, Ian Scott, Bob Tizard, Rob Cooper, Juliet Walker, Chris Chambers

Against: Ian Ward, Jo Agnew, Brian Fergus, Susan Buckland