27 August 2014

Message from Dr Mark Lawrie – Hospital Director

Dear All,
After many years, a previous downsizing and a number of investigations of how to provide clinical pathology services at Murdoch, the Clinical Pathology Lab will be closing this Friday 29 August 2014 to allow for the renovation of the Lab by Vetpath Laboratory Services who will be running clinical pathology operations into the future. The construction will take from 3-6 weeks. These changes will help Murdoch’s future sustainability as well as creating some new opportunities. There will be some things that will be different, many of which for the better. I would like to use this opportunity once again to thank Rene and her team especially Gavin and Gary, as well as Jenny and Tibor and the residents past and present for their wonderful work over the years.

1. We are implementing more seamless, automated communication of lab results directly from the external Vetpath lab, from the new Vetpath lab on site and from the Point-of-Care laboratory (minilab). Shiromi will send follow up emails to provide more advice on this at the end of this week. This will entail some changes to forms and the way they are managed. More to follow…
2. During the construction time samples (other than Point-of-Care samples) will be sent to the main Vetpath lab at Ascot.
a. Weekends will run as current with samples being stored in the MPEC nurses’ station fridge.
b. We will trial the storage of samples in a similar manner in normal working hours. Samples will be collected by couriers from the MPEC/GP reception.
c. If there is inadequate storage space in the MPEC nurses’ station fridge, an alternate storage site will be provided
3. After construction and the opening of the “Vetpath” clinpath lab we will revert to the established practice of samples being taken to the receival counter of the lab in hours
4. Please note that histopathology and parasitology samples will continue to be processed at Murdoch. Samples will be stored in a new fridge in the corridor between DI and referral reception and collected from there by staff from pathology or parasitology. (Louise Pallant will be coordinating this component). This is planned to be an ongoing change.
5. As previously communicated we now have 3 courierpick ups per day at 9.30am, 12.30pm and 2.10pm. It is not necessary to call a courier if working towards these times as they will be calling in anyway. The first of these pick ups will be done by a Vetpath technician/medical scientist during the construction phase. They will also be on site to service the Point-of-Care equipment in the minilab and the Advia which will remain in operation during the initial weeks of the construction period.
6. Saturday pick up times will be 9.15am and 2.30pm but couriers will not automatically call in and VETPATH MUST BE CALLED TO PICK UP ON SATURDAYS.
7. Sunday and Public Holidays remain as current. Vetpath is open between 10am-1pm. If you have a sample ring the duty scientist on 92593600 who will discuss transportation of samples to Vetpath. On-call service available between 1pm and 10pm contact the on-call service (0418916436) to speak to the scientist on call.
8. During the construction phase clinical pathology research samples will not be able to be processed on site unless they are able to be processed by the Point of Care equipment (including the Advia-a 5 day warning will be given re the decommissioning of the Advia and it will be replaced by two alternative hematology machines-one in the Vetpath lab and one in the Point of Care minilab)
9. This Friday Clinpath lab staff will be permanently shutting down the Biochemical Analyser (Daytona) and to allow them to do so they have requested that last specimens are to be delivered to Clinical Pathology by no later than 12pm– after this samples will need to be sent to Vetpath via the usual process.
10. Please note that the Radiometer will continue to be operational and serviced by the Vetpath technical staff but samples will need to be processed by clinicians or nurses trained in its use. We are also working on automated data transfer from the radiometer to the patient clinical record.
11. Some laboratory equipment will remain with Murdoch and communication continues in relation to this. If you have any queries contact myself, Mark Lawrie this week and Dominic O’Sullivan from next week.
Regards
Mark
Mark Lawrie
Hospital Director
Veterinary Teaching Hospital
Murdoch University
School of Veterinary and Life Sciences
Room 1.049 | South Street | Murdoch | Western Australia 6150
Tel +61 8 9360 2644 | Fax +61 8 9310 7495 | Email