Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH) is outsourcing the testing of some GP blood samples due to lack of processing capacity.
A spokesperson for HSE West and North West told the Medical Independent: “The Pathology Department at LUH has experienced a significant increase in workload and no longer has the capacity to perform all GP samples in the routine 8am to 8pm window. The only solution to this problem is additional analysers and currently LUH has no floor space to accommodate.”
The spokesperson said a “small proportion” (5.5 per cent) of GP blood sciences testing is being outsourced.
“LUH continues to try to resolve the LUH blood sciences laboratory capacity issue with HSE Procurement. Discussions are taking place to progress an arrangement to provide a turn-key solution to deliver a second track on the blood sciences laboratory, including modular accommodation.”
The outsourcing of blood sciences testing has been discussed at LUH management team meetings, according to minutes obtained under Freedom of Information law.
In April 2024, the meeting heard that “blood science work [is] being outsourced at a significant cost”. In June 2024, the meeting minutes noted that the outsourcing of these samples was leading to “gaps in laboratory records of some patients as these results are not available to LIS [laboratory information system]”.
The spokesperson for HSE West and North West did not comment on the cost of outsourcing or reconciling results onto the LIS.
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