REMINDER: Eligibility for funded Labtests home visit collection services as determined by the ARDHB is as follows:
- Patients (adults and minors) must be bedbound, have impaired mobility, mental or physical in nature, and have no support person to provide transport to a collection centre.
- Patients referred by Auckland’s Public Health Agency (ARPHS)
- Patients known/suspected to be contagious to any pandemic disease.
Requesting a Home Visit
- Requests for a home visit must be made by the referring practitioner or authorised representative (e.g. Senior Nurse) – not the Patient
- Request forms must be emailed (or faxed if no email available) to Labtests and not be given to the patient as Labtests needs to sight the information on the form to complete a booking
- A home visit request cannot be booked if Labtests has not received the request form
- With the exception of urgent requests, 24 hours’ notice is required for a home visit booking
- Best endeavours will be made to accommodate the individual needs of the patients, i.e. day, and time of day, however this cannot be guaranteed
- Morning priority will be given to patients who are required to fast, or withhold medication
- If an urgent home visit is required the time frame will be confirmed after consultation with the referring practitioner
- The following information must be included request forms:
- Complete patient details: NHI, Full name, Date of Birth and gender
- Complete patient address
- Contact telephone numbers for patient and referrer
- Tests required
- Frequency of testing
- Fasting or withholding medication, and time patient normally takes medication
- Relevant Clinical details or reason home visit service is required
- Any additional information that would affect the home visit e.g. patient can’t speak English
- Referrers signature
- If the home visit is unable to be scheduled on the requested date, the referring practitioner will be contacted
Discontinuation of Home Visits
- Labtests will notify the referring practitioner where there is evidence that the patient may no longer meet the home visit eligibility criteria
- Labtests will notify the referring practitioner via HL7 message if the patient is not at home at the time of visit or where circumstances have changed enabling the patient to visit a collection centre