Cardiac clinic comes to the patients

Cardiac physiologists Stephanie Morrison and Kunnal Singh. PHOTO/HAYLEY GASTMEIER

Wairarapa residents with pacemakers will now be able to have their check-ups in Masterton rather than having to journey to Wellington.

A travelling clinic with specialists and equipment from Wellington Hospital will visit Wairarapa Hospital four times a year.

The first session was on Tuesday with 47 heart patient appointments.

Wairarapa Hospital acting charge nurse manager of outpatients Sue Copps said the new service was welcome and convenient for patients.

"The technicians the patients usually would be seeing in Wellington are travelling here to see them. The intention is to save them the travel and make follow up appointments easier."

Cardiac physiologists Stephanie Morrison and Kunnal Singh from Wellington Hospital ran the first visiting Wairarapa clinic.

Mrs Morrison said setting up a clinic in Wairarapa had been on the cards for some time.

"We are happy to see it come to fruition. We have been able to set it up between the two DHBs (Capital & Coast and Wairarapa), which is really good and the patients [so far] seem really happy -- it saves them a trip over the hill."

She said they also ran a travelling clinic in Whanganui which was successful.

"The team have been really supportive, patients have been really pleased, the fact that they don't have to go to Wellington."

Mr Singh said in the past Wairarapa patients had commented how an appointment in Wellington would fill their whole day. He also said getting to and from Wellington had been an issue for some heart patients who were frail, elderly or in wheelchairs, so the visiting clinic would be ideal.