Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
New Heart Failure Service Up and Running
New Heart Failure Service Up and Running
Waikato's
Integrated Heart Failure Service started in December at
Te
Kuiti Hospital with the second community-based clinic
planned in Tokoroa
next week.
With nearly twice the
heart failure admission rates of Hamilton, the
Waitomo
and South Waikato districts were chosen as one-year pilot
sites
for the Waikato Integrated Heart Failure Programme,
a joint venture
between Waikato Clinical School, Waikato
District Health Board and
Waikato Primary
Health.
"Heart failure is a debilitating and costly
disease," said Waikato
DHB medical officer of health
Anita Bell.
"The ageing population and enhanced survival
of coronary heart
disease patients now means heart
failure is a significant public health
concern."
There
is an average of 643 heart failure admissions to Health
Waikato
services every year.
"An abundance of evidence
now exists to support integrated care
programmes in the
management of heart failure patients to help
optimise
treatment," said Waikato DHB's director of
Cardiology Gerry Devlin.
"This leads to reduced
hospitalisations and improved wellbeing.
However, the
difficulty is establishing the type of programme that
fits
local needs, as not one size fits all."
"This
programme aims to improve the range of services available
in
the community setting and focus on supporting general
practice teams
through improved access to cardiologists
and diagnostic services with
visiting mobile clinics,"
said Dr Bell.
Specialty heart failure nurses Debbie Brooks
and Eileen Gibbons are
also based in the Te Kuiti and
Tokoroa communities.
Te Kuiti Medical Centre GP Keith
Buswell said the new service is a
valuable addition to
the services available locally for people with
heart
failure.
"A closer working relationship with Waikato
Hospital's Cardiology
Service and the ability to offer
echocardiograms at outpatient clinics
coupled with a
nurse-led community service means our patients'
heart
conditions can be managed more effectively," said
Dr Buswell.
Dr Bell said the expectation was that
coordinating the care of heart
failure patients between
primary and secondary care would improve the
knowledge,
diagnosis and management of heart failure.
"Hopefully,
working towards better coordinating heart
failure
services may also lead to a reduction in
referrals and admissions or
readmissions to secondary
care."
Beyond the initial 12-month pilot period, the
programme's future will
depend on whether it identifies
'at risk' patients in early stages
of heart failure and
optimises their diagnosis and treatment at a
community
level as is hoped.
As part of the programme, the two
clinical nurse specialists and a
cardiologist with
expertise in heart failure have been appointed to work
in
the community, as well as at Waikato Hospital.
A portable
echocardiography machine has also been purchased to
enable
heart scans to be performed in sites such as Te
Kuiti and
Tokoroa.
ENDS
Waikato District Health Board
Healthy People. Excellent Care
Waikato District Health Board (DHB) employs over 6500 people and plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to more than 391,770 people in a region covering eight per cent of New Zealand.
Whakarongorau Aotearoa: International Nurses Day - Healthline Nurses Help 800 New Zealanders A Day
NZ Psychological Society: Remembering The Past Guides Our Future 
New Zealand Olympic Committee: Motherhood In Focus For Wāhine Toa Graduates Ahead Of Mother's Day
Early Childhood New Zealand: Budget 2026 Must Protect The Future Of Quality Early Childhood Education
Creative New Zealand: Aotearoa Manu Take World Art Stage As 61st Venice Biennale Opens
Country Music Honours: 2026 Country Music Honours Finalists Announced