SCL selected as integrated laboratories preferred provider

Joint Media Release
9 March 2015
SCL selected as preferred provider for integrated laboratories

Wairarapa, Hutt Valley and Capital & Coast District Health Boards (DHBs) have selected Southern Community Laboratories (SCL) as their preferred provider for hospital and community laboratory services.

The final decision is subject to consultation with staff and their unions, successful contractual negotiations with SCL, and ministerial sign off.

Clinical engagement and input will continue throughout the next steps of the process.

“Given the benefits experienced elsewhere in New Zealand, we believe there are opportunities to improve laboratory services by having an integrated laboratory,” says Dr Virginia Hope, Board Chair of Hutt Valley and Capital & Coast DHBs.

“If the proposal goes ahead, it would mean there is a seamless process for hospital and community services across the Greater Wellington region. Patients and health professionals would continue to receive high quality and timely laboratory services.

“The implementation of the new service would be from the 1 November this year and would be done in stages.

“As part of the tender, SCL will develop a multimillion dollar state-of-the-art laboratory facility at Wellington Hospital and upgrade equipment at Wairarapa, Hutt, and Kenepuru Hospitals. This wouldn’t be possible within the DHBs’ capital budget.

“Improved IT systems will also allow GPs and hospital specialists to access results, no matter whether the test was done in the hospital or community. This would avoid patients unnecessarily having the same test done multiple times, as often happens now.”

Dr Derek Milne, Board Chair of Wairarapa DHB says access to community blood collection services will improve.

“SCL are looking to improve access in high needs areas, and extending opening hours to make it easier for people to get to.

“By substantially increasing our economies of scale, the three DHBs will all save money which will be reinvested into services to improve the health of our communities. This is a potential win-win for our communities and for individual DHBs.”

Integration of hospital and community laboratory services is not a new concept in New Zealand. Nearly half of DHBs already have an integrated laboratory service.

Laboratory services are already partially joined up in the Greater Wellington region:
• There has been an outsourced integrated hospital and community laboratory service in the Wairarapa for many years.
• There is a shared hospital laboratory service across Hutt, Kenepuru and Wellington Hospitals, and
• Hutt Valley and Capital & Coast DHBs have had a joint contract for community laboratory services for nearly a decade.

The Boards will consider consultation submissions and information relating to the contract negotiations and the decision will be finalised at a joint meeting scheduled for the 24 April.

Background information about Southern Community Laboratories:

Southern Community Laboratories (SCL) is wholly owned by Healthscope Limited. Healthscope operates 130 collection centres in New Zealand and provides human pathology services to 100,000 patients per week. Healthscope also operates pathology laboratories, private hospitals and medical centres in Australia and is one of the largest healthcare companies in Australia.

Healthscope currently provides services to Auckland, Canterbury, Counties Manukau, Hawkes Bay, Lakes, Nelson Marlborough, Northland, South Canterbury, Southern, and Waitemata District Health Boards. They also provide services to the National Cervical Screening Programme for patients from many areas of New Zealand.

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