Gisborne Hospital Report - Health and Disability Commissioner

Gisborne Hospital 1999 – 2000
Recommendations
3. The minimum staff level should be increased to ensure that there is sufficient
expertise available at all times to maintain the new quality systems and standards
(which are being put in place by Mr Sharman and Ms Peterson) on a continuing
basis.
4. It is clear that the biochemistry section of the laboratory requires the continuing
service of at least one senior technologist with skills and experience similar to
the locum, Ms Peterson. The employment of only one such person leaves the
laboratory in a potentially fragile position, should that person go on leave, or
resign. Ideally, there should be two senior technologists appointed to this
section.
5. Technical staff must be given the opportunity to meet with colleagues from other
centres and undertake continuing education and practical training on a regular
basis. This includes attendance at instrument user group meetings, regional
quality assurance group meetings, and other educational activities relevant to the
work carried out in the Gisborne Hospital Laboratory.
6. In addition, visits by technologists to Canterbury Health Laboratory, or any other
large laboratory, should be arranged. These may be for relatively short periods
but should be regular, and should focus on practical training on instrument usage,
method techniques, and quality control. This should encourage a low threshold
for making personal contact for advice on any new problems that arise in the
biochemistry section of the laboratory at Gisborne Hospital in the future, thus
reducing professional isolation. There needs to be a defined role for a senior
colleague from a larger laboratory to provide professional supervision, and
assistance in planning.
7. A general pathologist with appropriate training in all disciplines of pathology
should be appointed to oversee the laboratory. Special arrangements will need to
be made to ensure that this pathologist has ample opportunity to meet with
colleagues and undertake continuing education and updating to ensure that she or
he is not practising in isolation. This is in addition to having an agreed line of
communication with peers (possibly Canterbury Health in the first instance,
given the valuable links forged already) so that referral of data for a second
opinion is not inhibited.
8. If it is not possible to appoint a suitable pathologist, then the frequency of visits
from other pathologists needs to be such that they feel comfortable about taking
responsibility for the work being performed at Gisborne Hospital laboratory.
Infrequent visits and availability at the end of a telephone is not sufficient to
ensure that the quality of the service is maintained at all times.
9. All tests performed must be subject to timely internal quality control and, where
an external QC programme is available, external quality assurance programmes
regardless of the cost involved in subscribing to that programme. If the cost of
the external QC programme is a problem, the test should be undertaken
elsewhere.
10. Regular, formal meetings should take place to review the results of quality
control programmes, so that all staff are familiar with the procedures, expected
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