A new service to treat stroke patients at Hawke's Bay Hospital is improving outcomes with faster diagnosis and treatment available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It's called telestroke, and allows specialists at Wellington Hospital to offer after-hours support via video-link to regional hospitals.
Hawke's Bay DHB chief medical officer Dr John Gommans said until the pilot for the telestroke started in July last year, the small pool of specialists in Hawke's Bay meant they were only available during the day, five days a week.
"With thrombylosis therapy, it's a bit tricky - it requires specialist expertise and fast and it was a challenge not having a 24/7 service as it required us to drive in from home after hours to assess the patient.
"With this, the neurologists in Wellington are working those hours for their own hospital and we can use them to provide a 24/7 service."
Hawke's Bay was one of four regional hospitals to use the pilot programme where specialists could connect with hospital staff and the patient via their laptop or ipad.
One patient to benefit from the programme was Waikanae Beach doctor Beven Telfer, who was rushed to Hawke's Bay hospital last July while visiting the region.
Mr Telfer's wife Robyn Telfer, a registered nurse, said the pair were staying in Havelock North and, a couple of weeks prior, Mr Telfer had been experiencing bad headaches.
Aged 55, he was fit, and had no issues with blood pressure or cholesterol, but this night he had another headache and at about 3am Mrs Telfer said he woke her up in bed when he hit out with his arm and was making an unusual noise.
"When I asked him what he was doing, he did not respond - I turned the light on and I knew something was wrong - he tried to sit up but he could not speak to me.
"He was gone on the left side of his body and then he fell to the floor."
She said she rang 111 and within an hour they were at hospital, and a neurologist from Wellington was talking them through getting a CAT scan and starting treatment.
The quick diagnosis and speed of treatment meant he began responding well immediately, apart from his speech which started to return over the following few days.
"To be able to speak to the specialist in front of us was fabulous and we had superb care at Hawke's Bay hospital throughout.
"I know there's lots of issues in the healthcare sector but in our case it saved my husband's life and career - he now has full function, he's back playing golf, he still has some issues with his speech but he's improving all the time."
Dr Gommans said the aim when dealing with strokes was to have patients in hospital and getting treated within 60 minutes and the telestroke facility was helping achieve that.
"We have more than doubled the number of people who have been treated in a shortened time."
About 9000 people have a stroke each year in New Zealand and the Stroke Foundation said early identification and treatment was crucial to reduce the likelihood of brain damage and lasting harm.
● High blood pressure was a leading cause of stroke, and as part of Stroke Week from October 2 to 8, the Stroke Foundation was giving thousands of people the chance to get their blood pressure checked - for free.
In Hawke's Bay testing will be available on Saturday, October 7 at Pak'n Save, 602 Heretaunga St W, St Leonards, Hastings,Pak'n Save, 25 Munroe St, Napier, and Pak'n Save, Leicester Avenue, Napier.