Southern District Health Board
Dunedin Hospital
201 Great King Street
Private Bag 1921
DUNEDIN 9054
Chief Executive Officer
16 June 2020
Phone 03-476 9456 Fax 03-476 9450
Ms Amy S Van Wey Lovatt
By Email
: [FYI request #12513 email]
Dear Ms Van Wey Lovatt
Re:
Official Information Act Request 1958
I refer to your Official Information Act request received 26 May 2020, in which you specifically
requested the following information.
Even if your DHB contracts out pathology services, third party health practitioners would make requests
directly to your DHB for pathology specimens as the DHB ultimately responsible for the tissue. Thus, to
clarify:
Request 1: Does this mean your DHB has adopted the RCPA policy, which is the professional standard,
for such requests given there is no written policy?
Southern Community Laboratories, who employ the Pathologists are contracted to Southern District
Health Board, have their own processes which they will follow relating RCPA policy.
Request 2: If not, I respectfully request a description of your DHB's standard practice regarding such
requests and in the event that your DHB's standard practice is NOT consistent with the RCPA policy, then
an explanation for the devation from the professional standards.
As noted, Southern Community Laboratories are the contracted service to Southern District Health
Board.
Request 3: If your standard practice is to forward requests to the contracting agency, then I respectfully
request that your DHB forward my OIA request to the appropriate agency, pursuant to section 14 of the
OIA. To avoid any misunderstanding, when I refer to policy, I would also include any standard practice,
written or unwritten,
Southern Community Laboratories is a non-government organisation, therefore are exempt from the
Official Information Act.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review of our decision by the Ombudsman. The
Ombudsman's
Office
can
be
contacted
on
0800
802
602
or
on-line
at
http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/. Yours sincerely
Chris Fleming
Chief Executive Officer
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