By Melissa Davies
The boss of embattled medical company Labtests has been replaced as part of a major shake-up ordered by the Auckland District Health Board.
The company has been strongly criticised since taking over a multi-million dollar contract to service the Auckland area.
It is a costly exercise for Labtests, but not as costly as a medical mistake.
Dr Michael Coglin has flown in from Australia to treat the damage, and today he announced CEO Ulf Lindskog will fly back out. He will return to a different job at head office, and his financial nous will be replaced by the medical expertise of another senior manager.
"If you were to give Ulf a scorecard in what he's been able to achieve in his 12 months in Auckland, he would rate very, very highly," says Dr Coglin. "However there are still issues that need to be addressed that require certain skills that are different from Ulf's."
Dr Coglin is hesitant to play the blame game. He says Mr Lindskog was not fired - he stepped aside - and accountability for concern over the speed and accuracy of operations does not rest with just one person.
"The criticism I think is fair," says Dr Coglin. "We've spent most of our energy looking inside our four walls and setting this thing up, and haven't paid enough attention to looking outside at those who are going to need us and who are our customers."
But immediate action on orders from the Auckland DHB means Labtests has now set up a direct phone line for doctors to have better communication with the pathologists.
Dr Peter Didsbury represents more than 550 doctors through Procare, and says he has been getting about 70 complaints about Labtests each day.
"We have been expressing some concern for some weeks," he says. "I think there's been some tardiness in the way that Labtests have responded to it. But as I say, we are pleased that the gravity of the situation is now recognised."
Labtests says it can't promise there won't ever be mistakes.
"My first impression is that yes, there are some problems around the lab at the moment, but none that can't be solved and none that can't be solved very quickly," says Dr Coglin.
And they will need to be. The Auckland DHB wants to see results by the end of the month. If they don't, the consequences could be severe, with the DHB having the option of potentially cancelling the contract.
3 News
Dr Michael Coglin talks to RadioLIVE on the problems affecting Labtests.