Dear Amy

Thank you for your request for official information, received by Hutt Valley District Health Board on 23 March 2020.

Your request has been received and logged. As required under the Official Information Act 1982, we will respond to your request within 20 working days. You should receive a response on or before 22 April 2020.

If a large amount of information has been requested or if the district health board needs to consult in order to make a decision, we may need to extend this date (this is provided for in section 15A of the Act). We will advise you if such an extension is necessary.

Hutt Valley District Health Board provides the first five hours of staff time to prepare a response free-of-charge. If your OIA is expected to take longer, we will inform you of the charges, and give you the opportunity to change or refine the request to reduce or remove the need to charge.

It should be noted that many key staff involved with the sourcing and preparation of material for your OIA request are also directly involved with work associated with COVID-19.

This may impact on our ability to respond to certain OIA requests within normal timeframes.

Our reference number for your request is: H20_21-46.

Kind regards

Robyn Fitzgerald

Robyn Fitzgerald | Correspondence Officer | Hutt Valley District Health Board |  Pilmuir House | Lower Hutt    
DDI: 04 570 9488  |   [email address]

-----Original Message-----
From: Amy S Van Wey Lovatt <[FOI #12520 email]>
Sent: Sunday, 22 March 2020 4:51 AM
To: OIA Request [HVDHB] <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Best Practice: Archiving, Storage, Biobanking of Human Tissue for Diagnostic Purposes

Dear DHB,

Request 1:
I am writing to request a copy of the your DHB's best practice protocol for the archiving, storage, or biobanking of human tissue for diagnostic purposes, whether they are formalin fixed, paraffin embedded or pathology slides, and the standards, legislation or scientific evidence which provides the basis for your DHB's protocol.

Request 2:
Is your DHB protocol for the archiving, storage, or biobanking of human tissue for diagnostic purposes, whether they are formalin fixed, paraffin embedded or pathology slides, based on a universally adopted standard within NZ or has your DHB determined its own policy.

Request 3:
Please explain the potential hazards of leaving formalin fixed, paraffin embedded or pathology slides in an unsecure, non-temperature and non-humidity regulated environment for 2 months over a NZ summer: say a on an employee's desk which is open to the public and in a repurposed house adjacent to the hospital from mid December to late February.

Request 4:
Please provide me with the name of the independent agency or agencies which provides oversight for your medical laboratory.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter. Please note, I have made this same request to every DHB in NZ in order to ascertain if there is a universal standard within NZ and also to determine if every DHB is familiar with the hazards associated with mishandling of pathology specimens.

Yours faithfully,

Amy S Van Wey Lovatt

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Dear Ms Lovatt

 

Please find attached responses to your OIA requests dated 23 March 2020.

 

We apologise for the delay in our response.  This has been due to our
preparations and response to COVID-19 and the redeployment of staff and
resources.

 

I trust this information fulfils your request.

 

You have the right to seek a review, under section 28(3) of the Act, by
way of a complaint to the Ombudsman.

 

 

Kind regards

 

 

Robyn Fitzgerald

Correspondence Officer | CEO’s Office | Hutt Valley and Capital & Coast
District Health Boards

T: 04 587 9488 | Ext: 9488 | [1]www.huttvalleydhb.org.nz |
[2]www.ccdhb.org.nz

 

 

References

Visible links
1. http://www.huttvalleydhb.org.nz/
2. http://www.ccdhb.org.nz/

Dear Ms Lovatt

 

We are in receipt of your request for official information, which
originally was received by the Ministry of Health and partially
transferred to Hutt Valley District Health Board on 4 May 2020.

 

Your request has been received and logged. As required under the Official
Information Act 1982, we will respond to your request within 20 working
days. You should receive a response on or before 2 June 2020.

 

If a large amount of information has been requested or if the district
health board needs to consult in order to make a decision, we may need to
extend this date (this is provided for in section 15A of the Act). We will
advise you if such an extension is necessary.

 

Hutt Valley District Health Board provides the first five hours of staff
time to prepare a response free-of-charge. If your OIA is expected to take
longer, we will inform you of the charges, and give you the opportunity to
change or refine the request to reduce or remove the need to charge.

 

It should be noted that many key staff involved with the sourcing and
preparation of material for your OIA request are also directly involved
with work associated with COVID-19.

 

This may impact on our ability to respond to certain OIA requests within
normal timeframes.

 

Our reference number for your request is: H20_21-60.

 

Kind regards

 

 

Robyn Fitzgerald

Correspondence Officer | CEO’s Office | Hutt Valley and Capital & Coast
District Health Boards

T: 04 587 9488 | Ext: 9488 | [1]www.huttvalleydhb.org.nz |
[2]www.ccdhb.org.nz

 

 

 

 

References

Visible links
1. http://www.huttvalleydhb.org.nz/
2. http://www.ccdhb.org.nz/

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