The state government will investigate the repercussions of an impending loss of microbiology services at Bendigo Health after medical staff raised concerns about a heightened risk to patients.

Victoria’s healthcare safety agency will assess any threat to those seeking treatment at the hospital stemming from a decision to move some microbiology services from Bendigo to a pathology lab in Melbourne.

The safety review follows the resignation of the manager of Australian Clinical Labs’ Bendigo facility in the wake of the decision.

The company told staff last week it had reviewed the site at Bendigo Health and decided to centralise all routine microbiology testing at its premises in Clayton.

After learning of the changes, senior clinicians called urgent meetings with management, raising concerns about what they say is a “huge risk” to patient safety.

Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Graeme Walker said experts from Safer Care Victoria would attend the hospital on Monday to conduct a “thorough assessment of the pathology model” and prepare a report on their findings.

“They'll be doing a thorough assessment of the pathology model and that's with a view to being satisfied that it continues to provide a safe service to patients,” he said.

“As a result of that assessment they'll report back to both the department and to Bendigo Health with their findings.”

A Bendigo Health spokeswoman also confirmed the visit was scheduled for next week, but did not provide any further detail.

“Safer Care Victoria are visiting Bendigo Health next week to provide an independent, external view in relation to the extent of any risk to the safety and quality of our patient care that would arise as a result of the ACL decision to move microbiology off site,” she said.

A senior clinician, who spoke to the Bendigo Advertiser on condition of anonymity due to concerns about their future employment at the hospital, said they were unaware of any comparable health facility in the state that did not perform routine microbiology on site.

“It means that more complex patients will potentially need to be transferred to Melbourne because we need to have rapid results to be able to manage those patients appropriately,” the source said.

“It reduces the hospital really to a rural bush hospital rather than what it's meant to be in terms of a regional tertiary centre.”

Ballarat Health Services and Barwon Health in Geelong this week confirmed both hospitals continued to provide on-site routine microbiology services and that arrangement was unlikely to change.

ACL also operates the lab at Barwon Health and a spokeswoman for the company said each hospital outlined in its contract what pathology services were required and ACL was meeting the requirements at both Bendigo and Geelong.

The ACL spokeswoman has previously said urgent microbiology testing would continue to be done on site in Bendigo, while only non-urgent microbiology tests would be redirected to Melbourne.

“We don’t expect there will be significant changes to turnaround times,” she said.

The Bendigo Advertiser understands the pathologists union, the Medical Scientists Association of Victoria, will seek the release of details of the contract between ACL and Bendigo Health before the Fair Work Commission next week.

MSAV secretary Paul Elliott said the union wanted more detail on the reasons behind the decision to close the lab.

“If contractual obligations exist to continue to run a microbiology lab, as we believe they do, it’s really important that information is on the table and we’re able to discuss it,” he said.

Mr Elliott said he had not spoken to the lab manager about her reasons for resigning but believed the move represented a further sign the situation was “spiraling out of control”.

“The impact of it is yet another very experienced scientist who’s left the laboratory and that further weakens and downgrades the level of pathology that can be delivered,” he said.

In an address to state parliament on Thursday, opposition health spokeswoman Mary Wooldridge said the loss of microbiology services was at odds with the hospital’s stated goal of providing “world class” healthcare, and called on Health Minister Jill Hennessy to act.

"Not only is this a loss of five jobs, but importantly the medical staff have made it very clear that not having those services on site is a detrimental clinical risk to patients,” she said.

“Given it is a very clear objective of Bendigo Health to be world class, there is no way that this hospital and health service can be world class with microbiology services off site and down in Melbourne, many hours away."

Ms Wooldridge said the time had come to renegotiate the contract to ensure the services remained on site.

“We have to put patient safety first, it is at risk, local services are being lost, staff are leaving,” she said.

“Minister, you must act to ensure the continuation of these vital health services in Bendigo."

Ms Hennessy has been contacted for comment.