There has been a far bit of noise in the news recently about the apparently poor quality of the Labtest services that have replaced Medlab in Auckland – a lot of’ it coming from GPs critiquing the turn around time of results being delivered for their patients if the reports from the NZ Herald are anything to go by with titles like “Doctors lay into Labtests’ poor service”. There have been claims that up to 68% of people are calling the service ‘bad or very bad’ and there was an article on the NZ Herald site last week about a type II diabetic woman from Papakura being diagnosed with prostate issues -something she is quite unlikely to have an issue with unless she keeping a rather big secret!

Sianne mentioned on a post last week that is wasn’t too great an experience for her at the Meadowbank branch but up until today, I myself have had no reason just yet to say anything bad about having not needed anything done. Of course, that wasn’t going to last was it so today, with a ghastly chest infection in tow I was trotted off to get blood tests at Labtests including an HbA1c and some some other guff related to my probable swine flu diagnosis so I thought I’d share my experience with you.

While it most certainly wasn’t as convenient as the Medlab guys were because their office was about 20 meters from my house on Ponbonby Road, I have to say that my experience of the Browns Street outfit in Ponsonby that I went to was superb. The rooms were very, very white having been recently painted and the whole place did feel decidedly industrial and sterile but they haven’t been open long enough to get posters I suppose so I decided to not let that put me off. I had zipped out of the office during the day and had to be back at 1pm for a meeting to the first thing I asked about was the waiting time since it was already 12:35pm and we’ve all heard the horror stories but there was literally no wait and I was quickly whisked off to what I’m going to scarcastically call ‘the chamber’.

There were no posters, no pictures or other things to look at as a distraction and the chair that I had to sit in looked like a torture device! No pillows to rest my arm on or anything. I’m not fussed about bloods so I wasn’t too bothered but you wouldn’t want to be anywhere near nervous in that little room I’m tellin’ ya…

All that aside though, the phlebotomist was an absolute legend and it ended up being the most pain free bloods I’ve ever had taken – heaps better than Medlab. And, when I asked for a copy of the results 3 people scrambled to get the forms which I completed and handed in with a smile and “no problem sir”.

Slap some posters on the wall, get some colour in there and a pillow or two and bob’s your uncle - Labtests get the big tick from me so far. All that remains now is to see how long the results take!

- Aaron