Printed from https://fyi.org.nz/request/best_practice_archiving_storage_10 on April 20, 2024 07:51

Best Practice: Archiving, Storage, Biobanking of Human Tissue for Diagnostic Purposes

Amy S Van Wey Lovatt (Account suspended) made this Official Information request to Waikato District Health Board

The request was refused by Waikato District Health Board.

From: Amy S Van Wey Lovatt (Account suspended)

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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From: Shona Pinny
Waikato District Health Board

Attachment OIA response AVWL requests 22 March 2020.pdf
1.5M Download View as HTML

Dear Ms Van Wey Lovatt

 

Please see attached response from Waikato DHB to your requests emailed 22
March 2020.

 

Regards

 

Shona Pinny | Personal Assistant to Executive Director, Hospital and
Community Services | Waikato District Health Board | p +64 7 839 8697 | m
027 406 0165 | e [1][email address]

 

 

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From: Amy S Van Wey Lovatt (Account suspended)

Dear Shona Pinny,

I was quite surprised by the Waikato DHB response to my OIA request, stating that it was vexatious. As mentioned in my original request, I have made the same request to every DHB in NZ. Your agency is the only agency which claims that my request is vexatious.

Do you think the Ombudsman would agree with WDHB's assertion that my request is vexatious, especially as they set a high bar for the determination that a request is vexatious and when I can demonstrate that the other DHB's were compliant and willing to provide the requested information?

I am willing to wait a week for an amendment to your response, which includes the requested information, before taking the matter before the Ombudsman.

Yours sincerely,

Amy S Van Wey Lovatt

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