Mater to outsource pathology services at two Queensland hospitals
Mater will permanently close its in-house pathology services at its Brisbane and Springfield hospitals in Queensland, Australia, affecting 400 staff, The Guardian reported.
The changes follow a safety concern at Mater Brisbane's anatomical pathology laboratory, the unit that examines tissue samples under a microscope. The lab was closed on 24 September over concerns about potential formalin exposure. Formalin is a solution of formaldehyde, a chemical used to preserve tissue.
Mater said 17 personal exposure monitoring samples were taken on 21 September, which measure how much of a substance individual workers breathe in. One employee's result was above workplace exposure standards, the limits set for how much exposure is acceptable at work, and that result prompted the closure. As a precaution, staff in the anatomical pathology laboratory were required to wear protective respiratory equipment. Mater said an investigation into the abnormal result is ongoing.
On 2 November, Mater said all pathology services at its Brisbane and Springfield hospitals will be outsourced to specialist providers, including Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology and Pathology Queensland. The outsourcing covers the anatomical pathology laboratory and every other pathology service at both hospitals. Pathology services are the laboratory tests that analyse samples taken from patients.
The closure also includes the laboratory that tests tissue and cells from foetuses and newborns in cases of unexpected death.
Mater said reopening the anatomical pathology laboratory would require significant long-term infrastructure changes and investment. It also said its current pathology operating model is not sustainable over the longer term.
