Members join fight against Auckland DHBS' decision on laboratory services.

NZNO members have been active in the fight against the three Auckland district health boards' (DHB) decision to award their community laboratory services contract, worth $560 million, to newcomer Labtests Auckland Ltd from July 1 next year. Diagnostic Medlab (DML) currently provides the service.

The DHBs made their decision in July and since then a series of protests and pickets have been mounted by DML staff, union members and members of the public, a 100,000-plus signature petition against the decision has been presented to the DHBs--Auckland DHB originally refused to accept the petition--and DML has mounted a legal challenge to the decision. The judicial review of the DHBs' decision will be held on November 11.

DML has around 750 staff, including 26 fulltime equivalent (FTE) pathologists and 260.5 FTE phlebotomists. NZNO organiser Christine Gallagher said there were 95 NZNO members at DML, all who worked as phlebmotomists. DML operates across Auckland and has 29 home, rest-home and practice collection cars and 84 collection rooms around the city.

Gallagher said Labtests Auckland was an Australian company, with a small community laboratory service in Whangarei and some veterinary and environmental testing services in Auckland.

The DHBs' decision had created a great deal of uncertainty among staff and Gallagher asked how DML could continue to provide a maximum service until June 30 next year if its pathologists, scientists and phlebotomists sought employment elsewhere. A number of DML pathologists have stated publicly they will not work for Labtests Auckland.

The chief executive of Labtests Auckland is Tony Bierre, a pathologist and former member of Auckland DHB, who only relinquished his position on the board in August.

Founder of the group opposed to the DHBs' decision, dontriskourhealth.com, Matt Crockett, said the decision made a mockery of community consultation and flew in the face of what Aucklanders wanted. "The DHBs did not properly canvass views. So many stakeholders--pathologists, other health professionals and communities served by DML--have asked why they weren't consulted before the decision. I felt it was important to oppose the decision and also to establish a public forum via the internet so people could express their views and the DHBs could see what people felt about their decision," he said.

The DHBs' decision would exacerbate Auckland's current health workforce exodus. "The DHBs must review this contract and save community pathology from the pending exodus, before it becomes a disaster," Crockett said.