MIL OSI – Source: Waikato District Health Board – Press Release/Statement
Headline: Accreditation for Waikato Hospital’s laboratory
After almost a year of quality improvement projects Waikato Hospital’s laboratory services have been given a clean bill of health.
The laboratory has was audited by IANZ (International Accreditation New Zealand), which is required in order to maintain accreditation as a medical testing laboratory.
This year’s audit has been the laboratory’s most successful yet with many favourable comments on the high standard of work produced by the laboratory across all areas.
Community and clinical support executive director Mark Spittal said there were no corrective actions identified this year.
“The successful IANZ audit is a real credit to all of the staff in the laboratory service,” he said.
“It is an onerous process that requires each laboratory to be working effectively and to have good quality systems in place.”
Laboratory manager Kay Stockman said over the last five years the laboratory has undergone huge change and challenges, including renovation, implementation of a new computer system, new automation, new technologies and staff restructure to align with the new processes.
“In the last year adopted a “one lab” philosophy to consolidate the new systems with a strong focus on quality improvement.”
“My congratulations to Kay Stockman, Stephen DuToit, Joanne O’Sullivan (quality manager) and the wider laboratory team for achieving such a fantastic result,” said Spittal.
“This is a group that is often ‘in the shadows” in the life of the DHB and one way to value the staff is to make sure their success is well known to other staff.”
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