Australian Clinical Labs Geelong staff shortage to result in patient delays: Ex-employee

A medical scientist who worked in the microbiology department of Australian Clinical Lab’s Geelong site has blown the whistle on an internal restructuring.

Australian Clinical Labs site in Geelong. Picture: Eddie Russell.

Medical treatments will be delayed and patients will spend longer in hospital if a laboratory company doesn’t hire more staff, a former employee has said.

Medical scientist Kerry Neeson, who quit her job at Australian Clinical Labs (ACL) in October 2024, said the company had manufactured a critical staff shortage by refusing to replace outgoing full-time employees.

“There has been a push since March last year … to reduce [sample] numbers from Barwon Health and therefore reduce staffing,” she said.

“They said cuts were on and we said that’s not possible … we would not make turnaround times and would have to answer complaints from the hospital.

“They changed the way we had been trained to deal with pathology.”

Ms Neeson said this placed what colleagues she had left under significant strain and led to several resignations.

Australian Clinical Labs have a contract with Barwon Health to take tests from patients at Geelong hospital and send back results.

However, the decreased capacity of Geelong’s microbiology department means crucial turnaround times risk not being met.

ACL national director of clinical pathology Chris Barnes said the changes were solely based on matching “clinical needs”.

“It’s really an operative issue … we adjust our workforce based on volume,” he said.

“We have a network of labs that are able to perform tests but the focus is on ensuring an appropriate turnaround.”

Ms Neeson said most samples were now being sent to bigger labs in Clayton and Adelaide.

“What could get done in Geelong immediately instead takes four to five hours,” she said.

But the longer the wait, the bigger the impact.

“Pathology informs 30 per cent of action regarding treatment of patients so it is important … especially for infectious diseases, any delay can mean life or death,” Ms Neeson said.

Results from urgent tests for patients with sepsis, tuberculosis, meningitis, and deep wound infections will now take drastically longer.

Best practice antibiotic testing has also been scrapped due to the limited ability of the Geelong lab.

“It’s taking service away from people who need to be there … you aren’t allowing room for people to be admitted to hospital if the person waiting for results is delayed,” Ms Neeson said.

However, Mr Barnes insisted that it would not be an issue.

“Staff wellbeing and patient safety are of utmost importance,” he said.

Barwon Health chief medical officer Ajai Verma said they were aware of the internal restructuring.

“We have been assured by ACL that local staffing levels meet clinical service delivery and contractual requirements,” he said.

“Their performance is closely monitored in accordance with these timelines and clinical requirements to ensure the provision of timely and high-quality patient care.”

Dr Verma said despite the contract Geelong hospital could “utilise other pathology services” where necessary.

Originally published as Australian Clinical Labs Geelong staff shortage to result in patient delays: Ex-employee