Lakes District Health Board signs new lab provider for hospital

The Lakes District Health Board has signed a contract with Pathlab Lakes as the new provider of laboratory services at its Rotorua and Taupo Hospitals. Photo/File

More tests will be carried out locally and bodies may be returned to families more quickly after post-mortems following a decision by Lakes District Health Board to switch to a new laboratory service provider.

The health board has said the new contract would have several benefits including more tests processed locally, standardised testing across the district and access to pathologists on-site.

A health board spokeswoman said access to pathologists on site would allow, in some instances, post-mortems carried out sooner and in Rotorua.

"Lakes DHB is hopeful that this will allow the bodies to be returned to their families as soon as possible once the post-mortem is completed."

The health board signed a contract with Pathlab Lakes Limited as the new provider of laboratory services at its Rotorua and Taupo Hospitals. Pathlab Lakes Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pathology Associates Limited.

For the past 10 years, the Lakes District Health Board has had contracts with two suppliers to provide hospital and community laboratory testing. Southern Communities Laboratories had the contract for Taupo and a joint venture, Laboratory Services Rotorua held the Rotorua contract.

When both these contracts expire late in June, Pathlab Lakes Ltd will be the provider of laboratory services across the Lakes District Health Board area.

The decision on the contract followed a two-stage process which included several advisers, the Ministries of Business Innovation and Enterprise, Health and the Commerce Commission and a final decision which involved clinicians and the health board.

The signing of the new five-year (plus an option to extend a further five years) contract follows approval of the licence from the Minister of Health. The licence will be for the sole purpose of providing laboratory services to the health board and will end when the contract ends.

The new laboratory services contract will take effect from May, and the go-live date for the changeover is July 1.

Under the contract current laboratory employees will transfer to the new provider Pathlab Lakes on existing terms and conditions.

Health board personal health portfolio manager Gareth Fannin said the transition plan for the changeover allowed for full orientation and induction of staff and would see the continued smooth running of hospital and community laboratory services across the health board area.