The health system in Wellington is under enormous strain and the cracks are appearing – emergency departments are beyond capacity, surgeons are warning about operations being dangerously delayed, patients are complaining about six month wait times and health professionals feel overworked.

It seems that in 2023 people are fighting and/ or begging their way into health services, meanwhile their health gets worse and permanent damage is done. With 40,000 + people on the waiting list for cardio treatment, heart failure is a huge concern for New Zealanders.

Cardiac Sonographer and Physiologist, Will Robinson is revolutionizing diagnostic cardiology testing by supporting patients on their journey to improved cardiac outcomes. CardioLabs is accomplishing this through community based clinics across the Wellington region.

CardioLabs offer reliable, precise, and timely cardiac diagnostic services. Their current services include Echocardiograms, Holter monitors, ECGs, and 24-hour BP monitoring, to enable early detection of heart conditions. Through close cooperation with local healthcare providers, CardioLabs is a great option for those seeking more convenient and reliable healthcare.

Robinson’s cardiac scanning technology delivers the same results as local hospitals, in a fraction of the time and in a community setting. Their approach has relieved a lot of pressure being felt by hospitals and the anxiety of their patients.

According to the Ministry of Health (2017) a New Zealander dies from CVD (cardiovascular disease) every 90 minutes, it’s our country’s number one killer. Will Robinson wants to change these statistics, making cardiovascular health in Wellington more accessible. Since opening in 2021, CardioLabs have saved members of the community upward of $1,000,000 in service fees, months of sitting on hospital wait lists, and improved many lives.

Expanding on this, Robinson explains “The aim is to speed up care-pathways, reduce wait lists, reduce ED admissions, and reduce unnecessary referrals to hospitals. Ultimately, improving patient outcomes. By working closely with GPs in primary health, patients will gain early access to diagnostic testing to identify and assess conditions. Results include suggested medications and ongoing management advice for the GP.

We spoke to one of Robinson’s patients, who asked to remain anonymous, to learn more about the CardioLabs experience. They told us they held a lot of anxiety around their cardiovascular health due to past medical history, but faced difficulties securing an appointment because of their lack of documented heart issues.

The patient told us CardioLabs was paramount in easing this anxiety, “they were so professional. I called them on a Monday and was seen for an ultrasound scan four days later. They talked me through the video and its exponents as the scan was being preformed. It was very informative,” they told us.

“The analysis was everything you’d receive in a hospital minus the months of waiting and long hospital commutes,” they added.

Will Robinson hopes to take his technology and services outside of the Wellington Suburbs and into the rural community more often, “it’s all about accessibility,” he says. By bringing hospital wait lists down and saving people the commute into town for their cardiovascular health, CardioLabs is paving the way for healthier hearts in our country.