30 March 2009
Over £160,000 has been spent improving clinical areas at a renal ward meaning more patients across Epsom, Sutton and St Helier will be able to have faster access to life saving treatment.
The refurbishment at Beacon ward, a specialist renal dialysis unit at St Helier Hospital, has led to office space being returned to ward areas. This has created extra space for nine beds as well as highly specialised equipment used on patients needing dialysis.
The work, which is due to be completed by the summer, is being funded by the Trust's capital investment programme. An additional £100,000 has been given to the Trust by volunteers from the St Helier and Surrey Kidney Patients Association so a new water purification plant could be installed on the ward.
Once working, the systems will provide sterile water to the equipment to allow dialysis to take place.
Dr James Marsh, Clinical Director for Renal and Cancer Services directorate said: "People who need dialysis have suffered kidney failure. Dialysis takes over the job of their kidneys, removing waste products and toxins from the blood. Without it, patients would die.
"These improvements are extremely necessary as we are seeing huge demand on our service year on year. The new equipment at the patient's bedside will save them being transferred to other parts of the renal unit."
Dr Marsh added he and his team are extremely grateful to the volunteers at the St Helier and Surrey Kidney Patients Association for their funding - which allowed the project to go ahead in the first place.
He said: "The donation from the volunteers is a remarkable amount of money and a fantastic achievement. We are extremely fortunate to have such dedicated volunteers who give so much of their own time for the benefit of the Trust and our patients."
Chairman of the St Helier and Surrey Kidney Patients Association, (formerly called the St Helier Association for Kidney Patients - SHAK) Dave Spensley, said: "We were delighted to have raised the money which was the culmination of four years of fundraising activity. It means that the quality of care provided to the hundreds of people who regularly use the service will be even better."
The renal unit is staffed by 13 nephrologists, two tiers of junior doctors, renal nurses including a number of clinical nurse specialists, and a number of dedicated support staff, including a renal specialist pharmacist, social worker and dieticians.
It offers a range of renal services including nephrology, dialysis and transplantation services, and serves a population of 1.8 million across south west London and Surrey. Transplant surgery is performed at St George's Hospital.
In addition, the service has a number of dialysis satellite centres based at Crawley, Croydon, Farnham, West Byfleet and Kingston. These are used by patients from across south west London, Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire and save them from having to travel to hospital unnecessarily.
