A cardiac catheterisation procedure within three days of arrival at the hospital was performed 28.5% of the time in Tairāwhiti compared to the national average of 64.7%.
One positive statistic in the report for Tairāwhiti was that the rate at which first medical contact occurred within 60 minutes of having heart attack symptoms was 80% in Tairāwhiti, compared to a national average of 50.2%.
The report drew on Ministry of Health data, which indicated there were no cardiologists in Tairāwhiti. The report also notes the Medical Council Workforce Survey showed Tairāwhiti had 0.4 of a fulltime equivalent cardiologist for the entire region.
Overall, the report found the country’s heart care system was “on the verge of collapse”.
Māori and Pacific people were hospitalised or died from heart disease more than a decade earlier, on average, than other New Zealanders.
The national heart health care system was plagued by chronic under-resourcing, critical workforce shortages and deadly inequities.
Heart disease contributed to 5% of hospital admissions and 20% of deaths across the country.
Health NZ Tairāwhiti group director of operations, Nicola Barrington, told the Gisborne Herald Health NZ was committed to ensuring patients had timely access to high-quality cardiac services wherever they lived in New Zealand.
“We are working hard to improve heart care services in Tairāwhiti by expanding access to cardiology services through a combination of digital health services, visiting specialists – including locum cardiologists and visiting clinicians – and nurse practitioner support," Barrington said.
Health NZ had partnered with HeartLab to reduce wait times for heart scan reporting, she said.
Barrington said efforts to recruit cardiology specialists to Tairāwhiti had been ongoing for some time.
“As with many other regions in New Zealand, attracting specialists to rural and regional areas like Tairāwhiti remains a challenge,” she said.
“We are continuing to recruit cardiologists, cardiac care specialists and sonographers to Gisborne Hospital.
“These efforts include a dedicated international recruitment campaign promoting the unique lifestyle and professional opportunities that Tairāwhiti offers.
“Encouragingly, we have received applications from a number of experienced doctors, some of whom we hope will focus their careers on caring for our whānau with cardiac issues in Tairāwhiti.”
Barrington said Health New Zealand was funding the training of 26 cardiac sonographers, with 10 graduating by the end of this year and the rest next year.
The intention was to place them in the areas of greatest need, “which includes our region”.
Health New Zealand’s National Clinical Cardiac Network was developing national standards and models of care, and establishing dedicated work streams, with strong clinical leadership and input from many regions, including Tairāwhiti.
“We are also exploring new ways of working within our region to optimise how we share the cardiology expertise to Tairāwhiti to provide equitable care across Te Manawa Taki [the Tairāwhiti, Waikato, Lakes, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki health districts]”.
She said the regional approach meant Tairāwhiti could offer better care and have more options for hiring skilled staff.
“We are planning by looking at ways to make our heart care team more resilient, by continuing to recruit nurse practitioners and specialist nurses.
“Our goal is to build a reliable, patient-focused heart service that meets the needs of people in Tairāwhiti now and in the years ahead,” said Barrington.
