Printed from https://fyi.org.nz/request/best_practice_archiving_storage_12 on November 22, 2024 02:31

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

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

The request was successful.

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

Link to this

From: Anna Monastra (WDHB)
Waitemata District Health Board

Dear Amy

 

Thank you for your Official Information Act request, received today.

 

We will provide a formal response to your request within the 20 working
days allowed under the Act.

 

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.

 

If, for any reason, we are unable to meet this deadline and need to extend
the timeframe for your response, we will be in touch to advise why this
has been necessary and to indicate when your response will be ready.

 

Please note that Waitematā DHB supports the open disclosure of information
to assist community understanding of how we are delivering publicly-funded
healthcare. This includes the proactive publication of anonymised Official
Information Act responses on our website from 10 working days after they
have been released.

 

If you feel that there are good reasons why your response should not be
made publicly available, we will be happy to consider this.

 

Regards

Anna

 

 

Anna Monastra I Senior Administration Assistant

Communications I Waitematā DHB

Level 2, 15 Shea Terrace, Private Bag 93-503, North Shore 0740

[1]www.waitematadhb.govt.nz

 

 

 

From: Amy S Van Wey Lovatt
<[2][FOI #12531 email]>
Date: 22 March 2020 at 4:51:42 AM NZDT
To: FOI requests at Waitemata District Health Board
<[3][Waitemata District Health Board request email]>
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

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[4][FOI #12531 email]

Is [5][Waitemata District Health Board request email] the wrong address for Freedom
of Information requests to Waitemata District Health Board? If so,
please contact us using this form:
[6]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=7264&a...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published
on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[7]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=7264&a...

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

[8]Legal Disclaimer

References

Visible links
1. http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/
http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/
2. mailto:[FOI #12531 email]
3. mailto:[Waitemata District Health Board request email]
4. mailto:[FOI #12531 email]
5. mailto:[Waitemata District Health Board request email]
6. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=7264&a...
7. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=7264&a...
8. http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/Disclaim...

Link to this

From: Anna Monastra (WDHB)
Waitemata District Health Board

Dear Amy

 

Further to your OIA request below, please be advised that we are unable to
process your request at this time due to our response to COVID-19.

 

Waitematā DHB is leading the response for the four Northern Region
District Health Boards which are collectively responsible for the health
of more than 1.7m people in the Northern region.  All of our clinicians
and managers are concentrating on measures to manage COVID-19.

 

Given these circumstances you will, therefore, understand that we do not
currently have the capacity to respond to OIA requests and, depending on
how COVID-19 spreads, we may not have the capacity for some time to come.

 

It is therefore necessary to extend the time required to make a decision
on your request for information in accordance with section 15A of the
Official Information Act. This is because the information cannot
reasonably be identified by the necessary people within 20 working days
without unreasonably interfering with our operations and/ or the
consultations necessary to make a decision on your request are such that a
response cannot be provided within the original timeframe. As such, we
expect that a decision will be made on your request and communicated to
you by August 2020.

You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of
this decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
[1]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.

If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request with us, including this
decision, please feel free to contact our Official Information Act
Manager, Denise Poole at [2][email address] or 021
198-0623.

Kind regards

Anna

 

Anna Monastra I Senior Administration Assistant

Communications I Waitematā DHB

Level 2, 15 Shea Terrace, Private Bag 93-503, North Shore 0740
[3]www.waitematadhb.govt.nz

Part-time hours: Monday - Thursday

 

 

 

 

From: Amy S Van Wey Lovatt
<[4][FOI #12531 email]>
Date: 22 March 2020 at 4:51:42 AM NZDT
To: FOI requests at Waitemata District Health Board
<[5][Waitemata District Health Board request email]>
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

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[6][FOI #12531 email]

Is [7][Waitemata District Health Board request email] the wrong address for Freedom
of Information requests to Waitemata District Health Board? If so,
please contact us using this form:
[8]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=7264&a...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published
on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[9]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=7264&a...

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

[10]Legal Disclaimer

References

Visible links
1. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
2. mailto:[email address]
3. http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/
http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/
4. mailto:[FOI #12531 email]
5. mailto:[Waitemata District Health Board request email]
6. mailto:[FOI #12531 email]
7. mailto:[Waitemata District Health Board request email]
8. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=7264&a...
9. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=7264&a...
10. http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/Disclaim...

Link to this

From: Anna Monastra (WDHB)
Waitemata District Health Board

Attachment OIA response 20041.pdf
245K Download View as HTML

Hi Amy

Please see the attached Waitematā DHB response to your recent Official
Information Act request.

 

Regards

Anna

 

 

Anna Monastra I Senior Administration Assistant

Communications I Waitematā DHB

[1]www.waitematadhb.govt.nz

 

 

[2]Legal Disclaimer

References

Visible links
1. http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/
http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/
2. http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/Disclaim...

Link to this

From: Amy S Van Wey Lovatt (Account suspended)

Dear Anna Monastra (WDHB),

Thank you very much for your thoughtful and thorough response.

Yours sincerely,

Amy S Van Wey Lovatt

Link to this

From: Anna Monastra (WDHB)
Waitemata District Health Board

Hi, you have reached me outside my part-time hours. For any urgent queries
please phone our media line on 09 487 1276.  Otherwise, I will respond to
your email on Tuesday. Thanks Anna

[1]Legal Disclaimer

References

Visible links
1. http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/Disclaim...

Link to this

From: Amy S Van Wey Lovatt (Account suspended)

Dear Anna Monastra (WDHB),

I would again like to thank you for your excellent response to my OIA request regarding Best Practice: Archiving, Storage, Bio-banking of Human Tissue for Diagnostic Purposes. Because of your considered and thorough response, I figured your DHB would likely have additional information about the environment for the storage of tissue.

Background:
I note from my OIA request that at Waitemata DHB, all human tissue kept securely and may only be accessed by authorized (laboratory staff) using key card access. You mentioned that the slides and blocks were kept at the ambient temperature, but mentioned that there was no recommended temperature. I note that the NPAAC requirements cover both NZ and AUS. In North Western AUS the ambient temperatures can exceed 50 deg C. At temperatures over 37 degrees C, I would be concerned about the paraffin wax melting. If the slides were not fixed in paraffin, I would be quite concerned about humidity near 100% as can be found in the Waikato region of NZ. This leads me to believe that there must be some requirements that laboratories must meet to show that the environment that the tissue is stored in is fit for purpose (temperature and humidity controlled, with likely back up power generator) and particular security measures.

Please accept this as a new OIA request for further information.

I am requesting a list of documents, guidelines, protocols, best practice documents, etc., which inform your DHB as to the appropriate building facilities for the long term storage of human tissue which your laboratory must meet in order to maintain IANZ accreditation and be in compliance with NPAAC and ISO standards/guidelines/requirements. This would include who has access to the tissue. The specific building requirements for tissue and temperature/humidity control. Specifications in regards to mitigation of loss do to fire, flood or power outages, etc. The more detailed the better. If you have a check list, which is supplied by one of the accreditation boards, that would be brilliant!

Thank you for your assistance in this matter. I think your OIA responses are an excellent model of what was intended by Parliament when they enacted the OIA.

Kindest regards,
Amy S Van Wey Lovatt

Link to this

From: Anna Monastra (WDHB)
Waitemata District Health Board

Dear Amy

 

Thank you for your Official Information Act request, received today
regarding building facilities for the long term storage of human tissue.

 

We will provide a formal response to your request within the 20 working
days allowed under the Act.

 

If for any reason we are unable to meet this deadline and need to extend
the timeframe for your response, we will be in touch to advise why this
has been necessary and to indicate when your response will be ready.

 

Please note that Waitematā DHB supports the open disclosure of information
to assist community understanding of how we are delivering publicly-funded
healthcare. This includes the proactive publication of anonymised Official
Information Act responses on our website from 10 working days after they
have been released.

 

If you feel that there are good reasons why your response should not be
made publicly available, we will be happy to consider this.

 

Kind regards

Anna

 

 

Anna Monastra I Senior Administration Assistant

Communications I Waitematā DHB

[1]www.waitematadhb.govt.nz

 

 

[2]Legal Disclaimer

References

Visible links
1. http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/
http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/
2. http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/Disclaim...

Link to this

From: Anna Monastra (WDHB)
Waitemata District Health Board

Attachment OIA response 20127.pdf
167K Download View as HTML

Hi Amy

Please see the attached Waitematā DHB response to your recent Official
Information Act request.

 

Regards

Anna

 

 

Anna Monastra I Senior Administration Assistant

Communications I Waitematā DHB

Level 2, 15 Shea Terrace, Private Bag 93-503, North Shore 0740

[1]www.waitematadhb.govt.nz

 

 

[2]Legal Disclaimer

References

Visible links
1. http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/
http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/
2. http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/Disclaim...

Link to this

From: Amy S Van Wey Lovatt (Account suspended)

Dear Anna Monastra (WDHB),

I would like to thank you for taking the time to respond to my OIA request. However, it appears that the information I requested was not included. I request all documents held by WDHB that show that the location in which human tissue is stored at WDHB is "secure archival room" (for instance, the check list provided by IANZ and the documentation of approval) as well as policies which describe which employees may access, handle and store the tissue and when it is permitted for employees to store the tissue in locations outside the "secure archival room".

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Amy S Van Wey Lovatt

Link to this

From: Denise Poole (WDHB)
Waitemata District Health Board

Hello Amy

Thank you for your follow-up email, below. I hope to be back in touch with you early next week to advise our response. In the meantime, if you have any further queries about any aspect of your request, please feel free get in touch with me.

Kind regards,
Denise Poole I Official Information Act Manager
Communications I Waitematā DHB
Level 2, 15 Shea Terrace, Takapuna
Private Bag 93-503, North Shore 0740
m: 021 198 0623
www.waitematadhb.govt.nz

show quoted sections

Link to this

From: Anna Monastra (WDHB)
Waitemata District Health Board

Attachment OIA 20127 supplementary response.pdf
315K Download View as HTML

Hi Amy

Please see the attached Waitematā DHB supplementary response to your
recent Official Information Act request.

 

Regards

Anna

 

 

Anna Monastra I Senior Administration Assistant

Communications I Waitematā DHB

Level 2, 15 Shea Terrace, Private Bag 93-503, North Shore 0740

[1]www.waitematadhb.govt.nz

 

 

 

[2]Legal Disclaimer

References

Visible links
1. http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/
http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/
2. http://www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/Disclaim...

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