Home visit service

• Where possible please defer testing request until the patient or contact is no longer required to isolate.
• If you are unsure if testing can be deferred or not, please contact the appropriate pathologist for advice.
• If testing cannot be deferred, please consider if the test can be collected by another healthcare worker who may already be in contact with the patient e.g. Public Health Nurse.
• If testing cannot be deferred and the patient is not being visited by another health care worker capable of collecting the test, then please complete the CSCL Home visit Request Form. If a Home visit Request is due to COVID-19 risk, the referrer MUST make it clear on the request form.

To contact us regarding anything to do with the Home Visit Service please contact us – call: 03 360 0842 or email: christchurch.homevisit@awanuilabs.co.nz

• Patients must be housebound due to ill health or have impaired mobility; be unable to manage everyday tasks such as grocery and shopping errands; and have no support person to provide transport to a collection centre to be eligible for a home visit.
• A request for a home visit must be made by the referring medical practitioner or nurse practitioner not the patient, their caregiver or relative.
• Any changes to a home visit request must be communicated to us by the referring medical practitioner or nurse practitioner not the patient / caregiver or relative.
• Bookings are restricted to patients living within a 20km radius of the nearest Awanui Lab collection centre.
• Bookings will not be accepted for patients requiring restraint unless assistance is available.
• Booking will only be accepted to a maximum of four (4) weeks out unless the patient is defined as permanently housebound.
• PLEASE NOTE: Home visits are unavailable for children or paid tests.

• Because the schedule is not completed until the morning of, and may be disrupted by urgent requirements, it is not possible to provide users of the service with the probable visit time. As the patients are (by definition) housebound, this should not be a cause of concern.
• Any important changes must be communicated to our Home Visit Co-ordinator promptly. For example, changes of address or collection location, patient in hospital, patient deceased.

• If the patient is not home when we call, they will be left a leaflet asking them to come into a Collection Centre or a card asking them to contact their doctor.
• Patients or caregivers should inform their referring medical practitioner or nurse practitioner as soon as possible if circumstances change that could affect their eligibility for a home visit e.g. patient recovers, becomes mobile, patient admitted to hospital etc.
• The medical practitioner or nurse practitioner must contact Awanui Labs by phone or email e-mail as soon as possible should there be any changes to their patient’s requirements.
• Patients who are considered to no longer require home visits will be discharged from the service after consultation with the referrer.
• Cancellations: please advise the service if a regular/booked patient is hospitalised or unavailable for some other reason.
• If a home visit is required for a certain date, please state this on the request. If not stated, we will aim to schedule on the preferred day, but non urgent requests may be moved for workload reasons.

• We require rest home staff members to be available as follows:
  • Staff member to assist on phlebotomist’s arrival with providing the phlebotomist with the patient’s location.
  • Assistance in the identification process for cognitive impaired patients or any other patient that is unable to ID themselves. Collection will not proceed If the Phlebotomist is not able to positively identify the patient.
• For patients with dementia or aggressive behavioural tendencies when having a blood collection, a staff member is required to be present for the duration of the visit. Staff safety is always paramount.
• Rest homes in Timaru are allocated a particular day(s) of the week for routine testing.
• Home visit requests are only to be made by the approved referrer (Doctor or Nurse Practitioner) visiting the rest home. This includes requests for urgent visits.
• Urgent visits requiring collection on the same day must be phoned through to the Home Visit Coordinator.

PLEASE NOTE: Awanui Labs only schedule one sample pick up from rest homes per day. Please ensure samples are put out in time for your routine scheduled pick up time. Further sample pickups outside of this time may not be able to be accommodated. Samples for pick up must be in a chilly bin with an ice pack on hot days and left at reception for collection

• Patients must ensure that all pets are restrained, and that the mobile Phlebotomist can safely gain access to the patient’s home.
• A notification letter will be sent to the referrer if a patient is not home at the time of a visit. The GP will need to confirm with Awanui Lab that the home visit is still required.
• The home visit will not proceed if the Phlebotomist is not able to positively identify the patient.
• Patients who are unable to effectively communicate their identification, e.g. non-English speaking, must provide photo ID or have a support person who can provide identification.
• A support person must be available during the visit for any patients that have known behavioural or cognitive issues. For visits to community homes – the community home must be able to provide evidence of the patient’s details and be able to assist with the patient. Home visit collections will not proceed If the Phlebotomist is not able to positively identify the patient or if the safety of the phlebotomist is compromised.

T: 03 687 2250
E: timaru.homevisit@awanuilabs.co.nz