It’s All About Patient Care
Yeah, right.
Just in case you were naive enough to think that Diagnostic Medical Laboratories (DML) went to all the trouble of disputing Labtests contract bid because they were worried about patient care, comes this statement in the Herald today.
““The suggestion was made that they [our staff] might be able to have laboratory tours at the Labtests site to get familiar with Labtests and what they are about. Our response was they have plenty of avenues to recruit staff on the web and in newspapers etc, and Labtests would have to rely on that. It was unreasonable for Labtests to have access to our staff.””
Of course DML fail to mention that they have employed the vast majority of medical technicians available and that most of them will be out of a job in September, unless they are hired by Labtests. Labtests quite rightly wish to hire all of DML’s soon to be redundant staff. Refusing to allow that staff to acclimatize to the new labs is just churlish and designed to cause maximum disruption at the handover.
And just to underline the point that DML doesn’t give a rip about patients there’s this:
“DML’s contract ends on September 6; Labtests takes over the next day.
“Dr Morris said he was awaiting a letter from the DHBs to explain their intentions for the transition but DML was obliged by its current contract to provide patient materials such as records and stored tissue samples only to a viable laboratory service provider.
“He was prepared to enter talks on transferring this, but only once an obviously “full service” existed.
““Up till then, access to staff, the collection network and so on – that’s setting up a laboratory. We have got no legal obligation to help Labtests in getting started from that point of view.””
Seeing as Labtests can only demonstrably be a “full service” laboratory when everything is up and running, expect DML to retain patient records for weeks or even months after the changeover. Maximum disruption is what they want. If the new service is a big enough disaster, it is entirely possible that the DHB may have to contract some work back to DML – at a premium price, of course.
So, hands up all of you doctors who swallowed the DML line that DML’s primary concern was patient care?
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Mar 11 09 8:32 pm
Not sure what your experience of employers is like – but DML managers have as much control over whether I (and other staff)choose to work for Labtests as they do over my choice of favorite colour. We are not locked in at night and even have access to computers. It is probably a foreign concept to DHB managers given their stunning staff retention – but many DML employees actually enjoy where they work and like turning up there each day. See the open letter from 458 DML employees available on the NZdoctor site to better understand why there may be recruitment issues for labtests.
I would be unable to do my job if I could not rely on all other departments/professional groups that make up a functional laboratory such as DML – from the quality of specimen collected, timely delivery to the dept, quality of lab scientists & technicans for analysis, as well as all the assistance from IS, call center etc etc. There is no way I could or would work safely while a new lab tries to get up and running. You are mistaken if you believe DML staff are not concerned about the effect on patients – so concerned about the disasterous consequences that they will not be a party to the DHBs’ idiocy.
Mar 12 09 9:22 am
worker b: If you’ve read my other posts on this, you would realise that I am very dubious as to the benefits of this move. I agree with you that it is a stupid move by Auckland DHB.
I have heard from other lab techs that I know that DML is a good employer. Labtests is a complete unknown. I can understand how that would be a concern. I also understand that their employment contracts are not as good as DML’s.
Having said that, this post is about the transition, which is now inevitable. You say “There is no way I could or would work safely while a new lab tries to get up and running.” But this is not exactly true. You would be in a safe environment if DML co-operated fully with the transition, allowing any transferring staff time to acclimatize, and ensuring that all patient records are available to the new lab. DML could also offer to keep some labs running to cover off any hiccoughs (I’m sure they could come to an arrangement with Labtests on costs).
The attitude displayed by DML’s upper management is one of maximum intransigence, rather than co-operation. Whereas you may be concerned with patient care, my impression of the DML owners is that that they are simply peeved that they have lost millions of dollars in profit. But they really have only themselves to blame.
Mar 13 09 9:56 pm
LTA argued sucessfully to the appeal court that this was a commercial decision. Tim Woods (the DHB project manager) stated to GPs that Healthscope tendered with the belief that they could walk in and take over DML’s operation as a going concern. I am a DML staff member who would take annual leave for the day rather than be forced to join a Magical Mystery Tour arranged by DML management for the benefit of LTA. The reason? I back patient care above all else, which is why I will NOT work for a company whose service model suggests the opposite. How exactly are DML management meant to make us go to LTA? Why is it OK for LTA to bully us into working for them? Why are you happy to have a second rate lab service foisted on you when it’s all about patient care?
Mar 13 09 10:11 pm
Kat: You are at liberty to work for LTA or not. But the fact that you discard LTA as “second-rate” before they have even started suggests to me that DML management have actively engaged in turning their technicians away from moving to LTA, presumably by a campaign of fear, uncertainty and doubt.
A goodly portion of lab techs will be redundant in September – in an environment of poor employment prospects. This does not suggest to me a caring employer, but an intensely manipulative one.
Mar 13 09 10:24 pm
Remember Healthscope runs laboratories in Australia. Pathology is a small world. Its well known what their ‘rate’ is. There are several professional groups at DML in addition to medical laboratory scientists. I think you’ll find many of them are sought after.
Mar 14 09 10:08 am
The staff at DML have judged LTA to be second rate by the lack of space in their lab, the equipment selected, the reduction in turn around times, the reduced range of testing they propose, the reduction in collection rooms and staff (although who would know what’s going on there- the goal posts seem to shift every day) and their lack of experience in establishing a lab of the size of DML’s. We didn’t sprout that lab over night to handle that volume of work, it has grown over a long time with the workload steadily increasing. Fortunately for me, I have qualifications in another industry desperately short of staff, so have no fears for my mortgage. The staff at DML will go to LTA if they feel it is in their best interests. There is no way DML management can stop them and I can say in all honesty, I have not felt that pressure as an employee.
Mar 25 09 7:40 pm
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