Awanui Labs offers a free to patient home visit service for the urban areas within a distance of 20 km from an Invercargill, Dunedin, Mosgiel, Oamaru, Clyde or Queenstown Awanui Labs collection centre. Home visits can only be provided if the Eligibility Criteria (below) have been fully met (download a copy here).
Eligibility criteria
- 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 Invercargill, Dunedin, Mosgiel, Oamaru, Clyde or Queenstown Awanui Labs collection centre.
- Bookings will not be accepted for patients requiring restraint unless assistance is available.
Request a home visit
- Requests for a home visit must be made by the referring medical practitioner or nurse practitioner not the patient, caregiver or relative.
- The home visit request form must not be given to the patient to present.
- Invercargill – Requests for home visits must be made by 1330 for the next day Monday to Friday.
- Dunedin/Mosgiel – Please make requests for a home visit at least 24 hours in advance of the requested booking day (Tuesday to Friday). Requests for a Monday must be made by 5pm on the preceding Thursday to allow for scheduling.
- Oamaru – Please make requests for a home visit at least 24 hours in advance of the requested booking day
- Clyde – Please make requests for a home visit at least 24 hours in advance of the requested booking day
- Queenstown – Please make requests for a home visit at least 24 hours in advance of the requested booking day
- We require the Home Visit Coordinator to be notified via phone if there are any particular specifications with regard to the testing e.g. fasting or drug levels.
- Home Visit requests must be made via the tick option on the eOrder electronic request form or if you do not have access to eOrders an email must be sent to –
- Invercargill – DonStPSC@awanuilabs.co.nz
- Dunedin/Mosgiel – SCLDunedin.Homevisits@sclabs.co.nz
- Clyde – dunstanstaff@awanuilabs.co.nz
- Oamaru – Oamaru.Lab@awanuilabs.co.nz
- Queenstown – qstaff@awanuilabs.co.nz
Urgent requests
Note: such requests must be clinically urgent. Please call our Home Visit Coordinator on –
- Invercargill 03 214 6980
- Dunedin/Mosgiel 03 360 0842
- Oamaru 03 4330263
- Clyde 03 4404305
- Queenstown 03 4423875 option 5
Home visit hours of service
- Invercargill/Mosgiel – Monday to Friday 0800 – 1200
- Dunedin – Monday to Friday 0730-1400
- Oamaru – Monday to Friday mornings
- Clyde – Tuesday and Thursday mornings
- Queenstown – Monday to Friday mornings
It is not possible to arrange a set time for home visits. As home visit patients are, by definition, housebound this should not be a cause for concern.
Home visit management
- If the patient is not home when we call Awanui Labs reserves the right to request the patient to attend one of our collection rooms in the area
- 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 admitted to hospital etc.
- The medical practitioner or nurse practitioner must contact Awanui Labs 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.
Rest homes
We require a rest home staff member to be available to assist with identification as many patients are unable to self-identify. The rest home visit will not proceed if the Phlebotomist is not able to positively identify the patient.
Private homes
- Patients must ensure that all pets are restrained and that the mobile Phlebotomist can safely gain access to the patient’s home and for Phlebotomist safety an unlocked exit must remain available in case of emergencies.
- A notification letter will be sent to the referrer if a patient is not home at the time of a visit, to confirm that home visits are still required for the patient.
- 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 present who can provide identification.
- If a patient in not home on two consecutive visits they will be withdrawn from our service and asked to attend our collection centres.