Dialysis patients at Southland Hospital now have tablets and headphones to get them through five-hour treatment sessions, funded by the Invercargill Licensing Trust.

The ILT donated five tablets and five headphone sets to the hospital's dialysis unit — a ward where patients are hooked up to machines for hours at a stretch, often with little to do.

Southerland Kidney Society president Nobby Clark said the difference had been immediate. "It's been a real blessing," Clark said. "Quite unique – nowhere else in the country has done that. That's one of the benefits of having a local licensing trust. It helps us out."

Before the tablets arrived, patients were left to their own devices — literally. Clark said they could now watch Netflix or YouTube instead of "sitting there half asleep".

Associate Charge Nurse Manager Danielle Meffan welcomed the donation without reservation. "Thank you to ILT for the tablets. It's going to make a huge difference to the dialysis patients who spend a lot of time here," she said.

ILT president Paddy O'Brien said it was precisely the kind of community support the Trust was built for. "We're there for the community, and this is a really important part of the community – people who've got some health issues getting support, and we're there to support them as well," O'Brien said. "We're delighted to support this, and hopefully it gives some people some comfort while they're getting treatment."

Stuart MacDougall was at the unit today to demonstrate the tablets to patients and staff.

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