Auckland laboratory services: prognosis is improving

Diagnostic laboratory services in Auckland are getting better but there is still room for improvement, according to feedback from surveys conducted by the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP). Laboratory services changed hands from Diagnostic Medlab (DML) to Labtests last year in September 2009. In the face of mounting criticism of Labtests the RNZCGP invited all 1135 of its members practising in Auckland to complete a survey about their experiences of the new service at one, six and 12 weeks after it started. There were 442 responses to the first survey, 196 to the second and 166 to the third. Over 70% of GPs responding to the first and second surveys indicated they had experienced ‘significant’ or ‘major’ problems with the new service. By the third survey, the number had decreased to 55%. Initially, the most widespread concern among GPs was delayed access to tests, but by the third survey, more said they had problems with ‘incorrect results’ or ‘suspected incorrect results’. The proportion of GPs who suspected they had received incorrect results had significantly increased by the final survey, while all other aspects showed improvement (full results; pdf format). Auckland laboratory services underwent a further change on 19 October 2009 becoming a two-provider system headed by Labtests and supplemented by DML.

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