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RNZ News
6 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Deaths from heart disease highest in regions with fewest cardiac staff
Chronic under-resourcing of cardiac care is costing lives, say doctors. File photo. Photo: 123 RF Heart patients, their families and doctors are calling for an end to "postcode health care" when it comes to cardic services. Chronic under-resourcing of cardiac care is costing lives and the economy, with the total impact - including early deaths - estimated at nearly $14b a year, according to Otago University research. Taranaki electrician Darren started feeling a bit tired a couple of years ago. "I was getting out of breath just walking across the car park." He went a few times to the GP who ordered some tests, but did not diagnosed Darren's major congestive heart disease until he had a heart attack at work. He was 48 - the same age as his mother when she had suffered a heart attack. "I ended up having to stay in ICU for a few days while they figured out how they were going to try and treat me. "But they said the wait list at Waikato [for surgery] was so long they said I would have to wait two to three months, and probably stay in ICU the whole time while they were waiting to ship me. So we ended up having to go private." The bypass surgery in September last year cost $85,000 - but Darren does not know whether he would have survived the wait for surgery in the public system. "I was lucky that my family was able to cover it. But there are lots of other people who aren't so fortunate, obviously." The report - commissioned by Kia Manawanui Trust - found deaths from heart disease were highest in regions with the fewest cardiac staff: Tairāwhiti, Lakes, Whanganui, and Taranaki. But Kia Manawanui Trust chief executive Letitia Harding said even in the main centres, services were patchy. "We just haven't invested in this, the cardiac health services haven't been a focus for decades. "It's hard to attract people when the infrastructure and services aren't there. Equipment isn't there. "Some of the cathlab equipment in Wellington is 17 years old." Such equipment in Australia could not be older than 10 years, she said. Hawke's Bay resident Kevin was referred to Wellington Hospital after his first heart attack in February 2023, diagnosed with a 50 percent blockage to his main artery and given a stent. However, a private cardiologist he saw subsequently found he had a 90 percent blockage and needed further stents. When he asked that specialist why it had not been picked up in the public system, he got an indirect reply. "He said he would only work with the best equipment that was available to him in Australia, and he demanded the same equipment here in New Zealand. "So the inference I guess was that they missed it because the equipment they used was out of date. They don't even use it in Australia." He had his second heart attack in November 2023 while on the table having further surgery in the private hospital. "In December, I was still unwell and presented to the hospital in Hastings to be told there was nothing wrong with me. "But they knew I had a procedure planned for January, and quite frankly I felt I was just being brushed off." In total, he had six stents inserted privately in three procedures over 10 months. That was after being discharged from Hastings Hospital on three occasions and told that nothing was wrong with his heart. The Otago research has found half of all heart attack patients were not treated in an acceptable timeframe. Health Minister Simeon Brown said the National Clinical Cardiac Network - set up by Health NZ - was developing national standards and models of care. However, Waikato cardiologist Professor Martin Stiles, a member of the clinical network, said without more funding, progress was stymied. "Who is listening? Who is listening to the recommendations we are making? We have no resources of our own at the network. We can only recommend to other people where we feel that resource is best placed." The minister's office today issued a media release saying the number of people in Northland waiting for their first heart specialist assessment has dropped by 36 percent since November 2023. However, Northland cardiologist Marcus Lee said while first appointments were important, patients with known heart disease were waiting too long for follow up care. "It's hard when you're telling a patient, 'We've missed the opportunity, we've missed the boat for you to get better care'. That's tough when they are in your system and you were going to see them in six months. But then a year comes around, and you haven't seen them." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Chronic under-resourcing of cardiac care costing lives
Heart disease is costing the country nearly $14 billion a year in direct costs to the health system and early deaths of one in five New Zealanders. That was the stark analysis from Otago University research, which shows chronic under-resourcing of cardiac care is costing lives. Ruth Hill reports. And for more, Health New Zealand's Chief Clinical Officer, Richard Sullivan spoke to Lisa Owen. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
ACC services not designed for people with concussion, says support group
A brain-injury support group says ACC's one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work for people with concussion. Photo: People with concussion are struggling to find the right support from ACC following a diagnosis, a brain injury support group says. Headway has campaigned for years to change the way ACC manages people with Traumatic Brain Injuries. Chief executive Stacey Mowbray told RNZ's Afternoons it was great New Zealand had a national insurance scheme like ACC, but said the one-size-fits-all approach did not work. "We're really worried that the system of ACC really expects someone with a concussion - so they're struggling to think straight, they're really having memory issues - to navigate the same processes as someone with a twisted ankle," she said. "We just don't think that the system is set up to deal with the complexities that someone faces with a concussion. "Sitting on the phone on hold for an hour when I've got a concussion and there's music playing really loudly, that is going to be really challenging for someone with a concussion." By contrast, some banks allowed customers to opt out of listening to music, while they were on hold, Mowbray said. ACC's acting head of client recovery, Matthew Goodger, pushed back on Mowbray's comments however, and said ACC did not have a one-size-fits-all approach. "Our systems and teams are designed to support a wide range of injuries, including concussion, within this broader context. All claims are assessed and handled on a case-by-case basis. "The way we support people, and which team supports them, depends on their needs." Mowbray called for more understanding from ACC, and more education and training for staff. "We think the real gap is better understanding from the staff and just thinking about some of those simple processes." People trying to access ACC services were not always told what support they may be entitled to, she said. "Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to always happen and, again, I think it might come back to education and understanding. "You don't know what you don't know, so I don't know what entitlements there are for me with ACC, and unless ACC consistently discloses these entitlements, it makes it so difficult for someone to actually say, 'Look, I'm having real visual issues, my vision is foggy, I'm struggling to see distances, it's not safe for me to drive'. "We would like to see ACC frontfooting that and saying, 'We will cover transport to your appointments, we'll cover transport'... just a little bit more openness around disclosing entitlements." While staff may be trying their best, they may not know, for example, visual issues and feeling dizzy were common with concussion, and driving may be a problem, Mowbray said. Goodger said ACC staff dealing directly with clients completed an eLearning module during induction which taught them about TBIs - it covered how the different types of brain injury affect different functions in clients' brains and the tasks they do in everyday life. There was also a facilitated training session that expanded on the initial training, he said. "If someone has a severe TBI they will have a lead provider who can also help them navigate the health system, which includes ACC. We work closely with lead providers. "Clients can also appoint someone else, such as friend or family member, who can communicate with us on their behalf about their claim." Mowbray suggested anyone having trouble with the process should contact Wayfinders, a free service that helped the public deal with ACC, Goodger agreed with this. It was not all bad news, with a new brain-injury screening tool helping general practitioners develop care plans for people with concussion. "We are the best place in the world to have a concussion, I think, because we've got these world-leading researchers," Mowbray said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
