News
HPV Primary Screening – DELAYED
Awanui Labs (formerly SCL) have been advised by the National Cervical Screening Programme (NCSP) that the start date for the switch to primary HPV screening has been postponed until 12 September 2023. Further information is available from the NCSP by emailing HPVScreen@health.govt.nz. Any orders already received for the new HPV swabs will be cancelled, with […]
Our name is changing – introducing Awanui Labs
We are proud to announce, after 60 years in the community, Southern Community Laboratories (SCL) will be changing its name and brand to Awanui Labs.
Requests for free triodothyronine (Free T3, FT3)
In normal circumstances there is no need to request FT3 when assessing thyroid function or monitoring thyroxine therapy – serum FT3 concentration is often normal in hypothyroidism. Measurement of FT3 has no part to play in the diagnosis or monitoring of hypothyroidism and should not be requested when thyroid function tests are being used for […]
Upgrade to our laboratory information system
We are upgrading our Laboratory Information System (LIS). Here is how it will affect referrers. From 29 April 2023, Southern Community Labs will be going live with upgrades to its LIS. This is part of a nationwide initiative that will refresh our existing LIS. Not only does this upgrade make for a more robust system, […]
Laboratory update: Changes to microbiology services for Invercargill
Tēnā koutou, There have recently been some interim changes to the way microbiology laboratory services are provided at Invercargill hospital SCL laboratory. These changes were introduced in part to better streamline the workflow and improve turnaround times for critical results. They were also in response to on-going challenges with recruitment of suitably qualified Senior Microbiology […]
The next generation of prenatal screening now in NZ
We’re excited to announce the next generation of non-invasive prenatal screening, Illumiscreen, is now available in Aotearoa New Zealand from across the APHG laboratory network. Non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPS), sometimes known as NIPT, has been available for quite some time to screen fetal DNA for trisomy 21 (Down), 18 (Edward), 13 (Patau). We now have the latest […]
LDL calculation change SDHB
From October 11, 2021 the biochemistry laboratory is changing the way that LDL cholesterol (LDLC) is calculated on the lipid profile. The current calculation (Friedewald’s formula) has been in use for almost 50 years. It estimates LDLC from the total cholesterol (TC), HDL cholesterol (HDLC) and triglyceride (TG) concentrations. The calculation assumes that triglyceride-containing lipoproteins […]
Changes to vaginal culture swab processing
We have been reviewing our laboratory processes for vaginal culture swabs. The main purpose of this test is to detect bacterial vaginosis (BV) or candidiasis in women with vaginal discharge or othersymptoms of vaginitis. The Gram stain is the gold standard investigation for both BV and candidiasis.(1-3) BV diagnosis utilises a validated scoring system based […]
Patient Report Upgrades
Southern Community Labs and Asia Pacific Healthcare Group (APHG) are scheduling an upgrade for the reports generated for Histology, Non-gynae Cytology, Bone Marrow, Flow Cytometry and Post-Mortem tests. Read more >>
Bowel Screening Report Changes
Southern Community Labs and Asia Pacific Healthcare Group (APHG) are scheduling an upgrade for rich text reports on the evening of March 25, 2021. Reformatted Bowel Screening Programme reports are included as part of this change. Read more >>