Westlab Insights Health Publication | QT1, 2022
Westlab Solutions How Cocreate, ProcurePlus and WeStore can benefit you.
Office Air Quality Are our offices making us sick? Join our upcoming webinar to find out.
HEPA Insights How to protect your business from airborne contaminants.
Rapid Antigen Insights Why RATs are becoming best practice in 2022.
04 CoCreation
06 ProcurePlus
08 WeStore
12 Product Focus
10 Office Air
Contents
Quality Webinar
04 CoCreation 06 ProcurePlus 08 WeStore 10 O ffice Air Quality
11 HEPA
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14 Rapid
Antigen Insights
Webinar
11 HEPA Insights 12 Product Focus 14 R apid Antigen Insights
Welcome to Westlab Insights Welcome to Westlab’s first Insights series! Bringing market insights, tips and stories from the healthcare market in 2022, we have not forgotten our valued healthcare clients.
It is nearly a cliché to suggest that ‘2021 has been…’ – cue phrase describing 2021. Key words include ‘terrible’, ‘a trial’, ‘full of highs and lows,’ and ‘remarkably difficult’. Truly though, I do have to acknowledge the unexpectedness of the way 2021 turned out, and how quickly it went. Hark back to the start of 2020, and it could not have been more different, the healthcare industry was being reformed for the better, we’d had a cracking year before, everyone was gearing up for an amazing year. Think of it like a little ‘pause’ time while you go to relieve yourself in the middle of a good series; 2022 will pick up where we left off. Will it? Now imagine way back in 1993 when ‘Western Laboratories’ made its first sale. Almost 30 years later, Westlab AU sell to over 3,000 clients, delivering 250+ orders per day, out of 5 different warehouses, and operating 60+ staff. And what an experience! The pandemic has brought out a quality in not only our staff, but our clients. Aligning with your needs, we’re enabling your discoveries – whether it be through keeping you safe with an N95 mask or letting you test for Covid before you go to work.
How did we do this?
Through existing channels before Covid-19, Westlab’s PPE and infection control range was strong and healthy. 2020 meant we had to mobilise teams to battle the pandemic head on. We literally worked around the clock, like you, to bring critical supplies to your stockpile. Except for the toilet paper of course, nobody could get that. I feel I owe it to the frontline healthcare workers, the procurement people and the logistics staff who tirelessly worked to make sure we’re all staying safe. Now, we continue to innovate. Infection control has changed, with key items being rapid antigen tests, and air purifiers to combat aerosol transmission. Stay tuned with Westlab Health to see further insights. Along with our BD team we’re setting up regular information webinars to keep you posted. Talk soon! Regan Arnot, Client Relations
Regan Arnot, Client Relations
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CoCreation Westlab’s mantra is to Consult, Create and Coordinate. Our goal is to take the clinical needs of the client and create an ideal product to enhance the life of the clinician.
Developing products with you, for you
Westlab health consult with the end users and other parties to find pain points, key desirables and important specifications, create a solution which includes prototyping and refining workshops, and coordinate manufacture and delivery of a custom-made product.
Westlab’s team indeed work closely with all of our clients, however instigate special projects for key clients with specific clinical needs.
Who is it for?
The Co-create program is ideal for clients whose needs are specific, and the products are being used in high volume by clinicians and healthcare workers.
How does it work?
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Set up an initial meeting with the Westlab Health team
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Identify needs/wants/pain points
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Create a design brief Produce prototypes Coordinate manufacture and delivery
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In-house research and development team
Proven track records The Co-Create program has been highly successful with clients, bringing custommade PPE and healthcare products. Not only satisfying customers, but satisfying required regulations for PPE and Healthcare consumables.
Westlab’s Healthcare team use the mantra to Consult, Create and Coordinate, to work closely with clients and produce a made-tospecification product.
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Case Study:
BACKGROUND
OUR SOLUTION
CARA (Community Accommodation and Respite Agency) is a leading South Australian Disability Service Provider with over 1,000 staff. With these large numbers and several hundred disabled tenants, CARA undertake special care and assistance for all people and offer extensive support programs which require mobile one-on-one care, personal interaction and physical support.
Through Westlab’s ProcurePlus program and in conjunction with WeStore, CARA are able to take advantage of a consistent invoicing and delivery program. Instead of placing around 60 orders and receiving 60 invoices per month, CARA are able to place one order a nd receive one invoice, while delivering to as many locations as required.
THE CHALLENGE
RESULTS
With CARA’s staff profiles and type of work a regular supply of disposable healthcare PPE is required for both the safety of the individual and the staff member. With over 100 sites, CARA had their work cut out for them on the procurement and purchasing level, needing regular deliveries to each site.
CARA have literally reduced 99% of the workload when procuring PPE, and when combined with a highly reliable and topquality product and market leading prices, this makes procurement for them a breeze. Where previously pandemic-related procurement would have taken precious resources from the procurement level, this is minimised.
CARA
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ProcurePlus Partnering with Westlab’s successful WeStore program, ProcurePlus allows easy ordering and easy payment for organisations with multiple sites.
Westlab’s mantra is to Consult, Create and Coordinate. Our goal is to take the complexity out of the procurement process, simplifying the ordering, invoicing and delivery steps in order to save valuable time and effort in the procurement process, and to massively reduce the workload of accounts.
Who is it for?
ProcurePlus is ideal for companies where head office conducts purchasing on behalf of multiple individual sites. ProcurePlus is available for groups with a spend of over $10K per month.
Consolidated invoices and transaction reports Accounts The finance team will receive a consolidated invoice detailing all deliveries during the agreed period.
Procurement The procurement team receive detailed transaction reports along with a monthly detailed site.
How does it work?
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Head office will provide Westlab with cost centres/site codes
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Orders are sent from HQ on demand, specifying which quantities are delivered to which sites
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Goods are dispatched immediately – same day dispatch for orders placed before 2PM
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Each month, an invoice is generated for all deliveries in the set period.
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WeStore Westlab’s WeStore program enables healthcare groups to secure large quantities of in-demand products and to access bulk pricing, without the hassle of cluttering valuable storage space with stocks they don’t need at the time. When you become part of the WeStore program, we will drip feed the necessary stock as you need it.
Key Benefits
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Bulk Volume Pricing. Certainty of Supply. Reduce Your Warehouse Footprint. Improved Cash Flow. Remove Logistical Headaches.
Who is it for?
Our WeStore Program is for healthcare groups, with centralised purchasing and a high usage of core healthcare consumables. It is for those that are challenged with warehousing space and require a certainty of supply and a certified product.
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How does it work? 1. W ork with a Westlab’s healthcare specialist to assess your volume requirements. 2. P lace a covering order for 3, 6 or 12 months of stock. 3. W estlab will dispatch goods weekly or monthly catered to your specific requirements.
The Westlab WeStore initiative was born as result of our healthcare clients running short of warehouse space while still wanting to take advantage of bulk healthcare pricing.
BACKGROUND
OUR SOLUTION
Healius Ltd is a leading pathology group in Australia and is known for its national location and reach into rural areas. With huge laboratories in the major capital cities of Australia conducting most of the testing throughout Covid-19, Healius had their work cut out for them in the height of the pandemic.
Healius were able to take advantage of Westlab’s supply security through WeStore, securing bulk amounts in advance, where Westlab stock items reserved for Healius. Bulk quantities are locked in and reserved and only delivered when needed.
THE CHALLENGE
RESULTS
With these massive testing numbers, Healius needed and still need large volumes of consumables to enable them to stay agile and keep up with testing demands. Global supply shortages of consumables such as pipette tips created a massive challenge to the laboratories and supply challenges created needless hassle for both scientists and procurement executives.
Rather than putting extensive efforts into once-off sourcing programs, Healius were able to take advantage of Westlab’s WeStore program and secure ongoing supply with no extra charges. This way Westlab could confidently move in advance and schedule large amounts of stock on an ongoing basis.
Case Study: Healius Ltd
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Office Air Quality Webinar ‘Are our workplaces making us sick?’ webinar Wellness is one of the most important aspects to manage in workplaces and commercial buildings. Taking care of our staff, ensuring safety is maintained and productivity and focus is at a maximum is all part of wellness. Add the risk of a pandemic and you have the ultimate wellness challenge. Learn from key specialists in facilities management and consultancy for Workplace Hygiene, Fluid Dynamics and how to manage air. Garner tips in how to effectively manage your workplace to do the best for its inhabitants.
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Join our webinar hosted by Westlab/ Santé Group to learn about the importance of indoor air quality, featuring some of 2021’s most influential people in the world to give insights into the revival of clean air needs in the workplace. Click here to register or scan the QR code below.
HEPA Insights Whether you are an office or a hospital, even after the pandemic we should all focus on quality air filtration for the best health for everyone.
Australia’s Omicron wave of COVID-19 has highlighted how easily airborne particles can spread and make us sick. However, quality air filtration has been used long before the pandemic. We are seeing air filters being redesigned and rolled out to new settings.
What are airborne contaminants? Airborne contaminants are tiny particles that can be inhaled and affect our health. Airborne contaminants range from manmade dust, fibres and fumes to organic pathogens like bacteria, fungi, spores and viruses. In order to prevent the spread of indoor airborne contaminants, it is recommended to purchase an air purifier which traps at least 99% of contaminants and emits fresh clean air into the room’s atmosphere.
What makes a good air filter? Virus and other particles can be as small as 0.3 micrometres in diameter. Effective removal of these particles requires reputable medical devices that use HEPA filtering technology. HEPA (High-efficency particulate air) filters are extremely fine filters that capture particles found in the area like dust, bacteria and viruses. Fully certified and rated HEPA filters are the only reliable world standard that consistently capture 99.99% of particles 0.3+ micrometres in diameter and only emit clean particle-free air. There are different kinds of air filters to best match different types of settings.
Large spaces Gatherings and parties are fun no matter what the occasion but the risk of transmission between a large number of people is much higher and has led to super-spreader events. For larger spaces like entertainment halls and restaurants, the Aeris aair 3-in-1 Pro is designed for efficiently filtering the air in high traffic and larger areas. It’s 3-in1 filter which includes an F7 Prefilter, activated carbon filter and H13/14 HEPA filter is incredibly effective at reducing risk of transmission.
Healthcare settings Healthcare settings like hospital wards and medical centres have always required high quality air filtration to protect their patients from airborne diseases. With high traffic of people in hospitals, the use of cleaning chemicals and spores released from a water damaged building can trigger potentially deadly infections in some patients. To prevent this, air in medical settings needs to turned over at least four times an hour. Healthcare settings require the best air filtration units like the Aeris aair MICU (Medical Infection Control Unit) which has an anti-microbial filter treatment to kills viruses and Volatile Organic Compounds like COVID-19. This unit is suitable for surgical/patient care operations.
Classroom/ Office settings: The pandemic has seen a mass-roll out of air filter units in classrooms and offices to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in children and keep schools open. For social settings like classrooms and offices, units like the Aeris aair Lite or the Aeris aair 3-in-1 Pro can kill virus particles in minutes and dramatically reduce virus transmission rates. The unit also has an extremely simple filter change making it easy for busy teachers and office staff to make the switch.
Compact suites Compact suites like dentist offices, specialist suites and hotel rooms are higher risk places for airborne transmission because of their small spaces. The Oxira is professionally built for compact medical, commercial and hospitality areas. Offering high flow to small rooms, there is 6 different models accommodating to rooms with different sizes, foot traffic and their purpose. Westlab are the exclusive distributor for Swiss-designed and engineered Aeris Aair Range. To purchase an Aeris Aair filter or a wide range of medical products, contact Westlab today.
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Aeris aair 3-in-1 Pro HEPA Filtration units are designed to recirculate air and clean it from particles, sub-organic compounds and organisms such as mould and spores. Literally cleaning the air of Covid-19 can dramatically reduce transmission rates, all while keeping the air breathable, and improving mental outcomes.
Westlab are the exclusive distributor for the Swiss-designed and engineered Aeris Aair range. Speak to one of our team today on 1800 358 101 to secure your allocation.
Product Specifications Anti-microbial filter treatment 3-in-1 Filter including: F7 Pre-filter Activated Carbon Filter H13/H14 HEPA Filterw H13 Main HEPA Filter Artificial Intelligence Programs Fleet Management Automatic air speed Integrated Air Quality Mete Continuous AQI readout Wi-Fi Integration Mobile Control 12
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Aeris aair Lite
Product Specifications Anti-microbial filter treatment F7 Pre-filter H13 Main HEPA Filter Artificial Intelligence Programs Fleet Management Automatic air speed Integrated Air Quality Mete Continuous AQI readout Wi-Fi Integration Mobile Control Extremely simple filter change 12 Month Filter Life
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Rapid Antigen Insights Is 2022 the end of the COVID-19 global health emergency? With borders reopening and large events resuming, all is hopeful for Australia to transition to some level of COVID-normal.
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In mid-late 2021, the introduction of Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) across Australia gave the power of testing to the consumer and they becoming a popular alternative to PCR testing, especially when screening for employees in the workplace.
What is RAT testing? Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) are portable testing kits that can detect if antigens – the n-proteins (nucleocapsid) on the outside of the COVID-19 virus – are present in your body. Antigen testing has been around for decades and are commonly used to diagnose other respiratory illnesses like pneumonia. The global pandemic has created a huge demand to make these antigen tests portable and more accessible to the public. RAT testing kits can be used anywhere – the home, the workplace, at airports – and quickly return results within 10-20 minutes. You can perform a RAT test in your own time without the presence of a medical professional. RAT tests can also identify asymptomatic people in very early stages of infection, preventing them from unconsciously spreading the virus. The test is fairly simple and requires a swab from your nasal cavity or throat (as described by the test kits instructions) then the swab is mixed with a buffer solution in a tube. A series of chemical reactions occur in the test tube as the buffer seeks out any COVID antigens. Next, a few drops from the tube are dripped onto a test strip which will tell the user if they are positive or negative for COVID.
How effective are RAT tests? Despite warnings from the media about false positives, TGA accredited testing kits have undergone rigorous testing to ensure their accuracy. An international study compared RAT tests to PCR tests and found that the specificity – a measure of how well a test can identify true negatives – was 97%. Which means if 100 people had RAT tests and tested negative, 97 of those people would have also returned PCR tests.
In terms of sensitivity – the number of true positives – when comparing RAT tests to PCRs, the same study found 94% of positive RAT results for COVID-19 matched the positives found in their PCR tests. The studies numbers are very good but the Westlab antigen test has an outstanding specificity of 99.25% and a high sensitivity of 98.6% making the Westlab tests very reliable at returning accurate results.
PCR tests vs RAT tests What is the difference between RAT tests and PCR? They test for different things: A PCR test tests for RNA molecules of COVID-19 in your system. A RAT test looks for COVIDantigens which are markers found on the outside coating of the COVID-19 virus. PCR tests require more resources: The swab collector, the laboratory equipment, reagents and the staff to run the lab. Meanwhile, RAT tests only cost money for the actual kit and the time of the user. Time for results: The average turn-around time for PCR results is 24-48hrs. During which the person getting tested should stay home and isolate. RAT tests take about 10-15 minutes to get results. Location: PCR tests require a person to drive to a testing centre, which for some people could be a long way away and spend hours queuing up for their turn. Meanwhile, RATs can be performed anywhere, including your home or workplace. Who is needs to be tested with RATs? At the time of writing, RATs are currently being used as a screening test for people in the following industries.
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Frontline & Healthcare workers
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School Children & Teachers
Aged care & disability workers
Regular screening using RATs is a massive step in being able to detect the virus early when team members are asymptomatic and in early stages of the infection to prevent further transmission into the workplace. Why RATs are the preferred test of choice for employers. RAT tests are a great way for employers to ensure the safety of their employees and customers without reducing productivity. Employees getting screened with RAT tests no longer need to take time off work to isolate and wait for test results. What is a good RAT test brand? The most important thing to check when purchasing a RAT test is to ensure it has been approved by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA). The TGA has a list of all approved testing kits on its website. The kits that make this list have been rigorously tested and audited to ensure customers are getting tests that are valid and accurate. Westlab Scientific is an accredited and reputable seller for RATs tests. Westlab’s rapid lateral flow antigen test kit by MP Bio is listed on the TGAs approved list for RAT tests. The kit is fast, convenient and easy to use. Get fast results in 15 minutes. These RAT tests are a costeffective investment in maintaining the health of your team without impacting productivity.
Key takeaways RAT tests are fast and cost-effective ways to screen for and prevent the spread of COVID-19 amongst your team. Negative test results do not exclude infection with COVID-19. Face masks, social distancing and good hygiene practice must be maintained.
Essential workers (Supply chain/ manufacturing, public transport ect).
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Let’s talk Australia
New Zealand
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Phone
Phone
Phone
1800 358 101
+64 9 553 3677
1 877 822 1455
sales@westlab.com.au
sales.nz@westlab.com
sales@westlab.com
Address
Address
Address
4 Cargo Way, Mitchell Park, Victoria Australia 3355
6 Springs Flat Road, Kamo Whangarei, New Zealand 0112
#101, 19050 - 25 Ave, Surrey, British Colombia, Canada V3Z 3V2
Website
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www.westlab.com.au
www.westlab.com
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Westlab in every discovery.