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. Some of these sites are directly managed by the Trust, others are commissioned to private partners.
Whichever unit you attend, you will be looked after by trained nurses and support staff and will be regularly monitored by a nephrologist who reviews the adequacy of your dialysis.
Your nutritional status is assessed by renal dieticians. Input from a renal pharmacologist and councillor is available to patients at our renal centres and satellite units.
St Helier Hospital is the centre unit for the haemodialysis service. Patients usually start on the programme at St Helier Hospital until they are established and stable on dialysis. Once this has been achieved patients are usually transferred to a satellite unit nearest to where they live.
The standard dialysis regime is for four hours three times a week.
Supported by our own team of technical staff, the units have a rigorous maintenance routine for all equipment and regularly update the haemodialysis machines to ensure patients are using the most up-to-date facilities.
Patients will commence haemodialysis following consultation with their nephrologist and other support staff to determine the best method for them.
We also provide support for haemodialysis patients taking a holiday away from their normal residence.
Referrals
Patients will commence haemodialysis following consultation with their nephrologist and other support staff to determine the best method for them.
Haemodialysis - a guide for patients
As part of the Trust's commitment to provide a high level of care to people as close to their homes as possible, we work closely with Fresenius Medical Care to provide satellite dialysis units across the region. This document, which has been provided by Fresenius, is an information guide about those units.
