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Renal services (kidney problems)

The South West Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit is one of the largest units in the UK.

As a tertiary renal unit, we offer the full range of renal services including nephrology, dialysis and transplantation services, serving a population of about two million across south west London and Surrey. Transplant surgery is performed at St George's Hospital.

Our philosophy of care is to deliver as much care as possible close to the patient's home. We take an outreach approach, with dialysis and clinic facilities on 15 different sites in Surrey and south west London.

We aim to offer a consultant delivered service. Each of the acute trusts served by the renal unit has an on-site nephrologist presence at least twice a week, offering clinic and ward referral services.

Inpatient services include a 57-bed unit on three wards with fully trained renal nurses and facility for acute haemodialysis and plasma exchange.

At the end of 2011 there were 591 transplant recipients, 740 haemodialysis patients, 109 peritoneal dialysis patients and 5761 patients attending the nephrology clinics. On average the network undertakes 50 kidney transplants for patients at St Helier Hospital each year.

  • General information about the renal department This section contains general information about the renal department, including facilities, staff, locations, research and education.
  • Peritoneal dialysis clinics Peritoneal dialysis clinics are a service for patients who have started the life-long treatment of renal replacement therapy. A dedicated team of two consultants and five specialist nurses look after renal patients who have chosen peritoneal dialysis therapy.
  • Haemodialysis Run by consultants and teams of nurses, the haemodialysis service department looks after renal patients who have elected for haemodialysis treatment. The renal unit at St Helier Hospital provides haemodialysis therapy to over 640 patients on six main sites, at home and two new sites which will be operational at the end of 2009/10.
  • Renal outpatient department The renal unit at St Helier Hospital sees patients on an outpatient basis at many different sites. However, St Helier Hospital provides the main facility for the service, comprising a main reception, medical records area, waiting area and six consulting rooms.
  • Renal minor procedures area Day case procedures are performed in a dedicated renal procedure room on Beacon Ward within the renal unit under the supervision of specialised renal staff.
  • Vasculitis clinic Patients with multisystem auto-immune disease, and often but not always, with kidney involvement (typically, but not exclusively, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody associated vasculitis and lupus or systemic lupus erythematosus), are cared for in this clinic.
  • Surgical access clinic As the first complex vascular access service in the country we cater for all type of vascular accesses and especially for patients who had been unsuitable for any kind of access. We treat patients with central venous stenosis and obstruction and also provide an emergency failing access 24 hours a day seven days a week.
  • Holiday dialysis We offer temporary dialysis away from the patient's home unit for a period from one session up to eight weeks. The service has developed numerous overseas links and can support patients wishing to travel further afield.
  • General nephrology clinics If your doctor thinks you may have kidney problems, you may be referred to a general nephrology clinic where you will be seen by one of our 13 consultant nephrologists or a specialist registrar.
  • Combined renal and diabetes clinics Many patients with kidney dysfunction also have diabetes. Diabetes is now the leading cause of renal failure in the UK. We aim to offer a local service for assessing and treating chronic kidney disease and to help guide your GP.
  • Combined renal and rheumatology clinic A small number of patients with autoimmune conditions such as vasculitis, systemic lupus erythematosis, rheumatoid arthritis and mixed connective tissue disorders develop problems with kidney function. This needs specialist assessment by a nephrologist.
  • Adolescent / adult interface clinic Many children with chronic kidney disease and their parents develop close relationships with the specialist children's services. As they grow up and enter young adulthood, it can sometimes be very daunting moving to the adult renal clinic. There are sometimes complex medical, social and psychological needs for adolescents and young adults with chronic kidney disease.
  • Pre-dialysis clinics The aim of this clinic is to provide co-ordinated multi-disciplinary care for patients with advanced renal disease who may require renal replacement therapy such as dialysis or transplantation.
  • Transplant donor and recipient work-up assessment This assessment clinic helps to prepare the potential renal transplant donor and transplant recipient for surgery. It includes an assessment of the medical, surgical and psychological aspects of transplantation.
  • Transplant follow-up clinic Transplants are followed for the first 3-4 months at St Helier Hospital, and thereafter at one of a network of clinics across Surrey and E Sussex. This centripetal model of care allows close supervision in the early stages, when complications are most common, and local care for maximum convenience once the clinical status is stable.
  • Renal anaemia clinics We provide intravenous iron treatment for patients with kidney disease, as well as arranging for the administration of erythropoietin treatment. We have introduced a new system of home delivery of erythropoietin to our patients to make the patient experience easier.
  • Social work and counselling service The social work and counselling service offers social work advice and counselling to help patients and their families successfully integrate treatment pathways into their lifestyle with minimum disruption and distress.

Key staff

Dr Peter Andrews
Clinical Director

Dr Fiona Harris
Clinical lead

Susie Mallinder 
Lead nurse

Steve Simper
General manager

Sara Jobson
Service manager

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