For the first ever time, health officials have started to admit that people have been "badly burned" by a hasty and poorly handled change in Auckland's new laboratory services.

The District Health Board is, however, adamant that the service has started to get better, despite a survey clearly showing that GPs across the area are not happy.

Parliament's health select committee is now carrying out its own check-up on Auckland's controversial new lab testing service, with the region's health chiefs fronting up through tele-link on Wednesday.

While admitting that the Labtests process started out poorly, Auckland DHB Chair Pat Snedden said, "The confidence of the GP community, and indeed some of the general public confidence was badly burned in that first couple of months". But he now seems to be optimistic that the newly appointed lab will, which has been in service for 7 months now, will improve is services.

"A large part of the irritation that people were experiencing has been overcome", he stressed.