A specialist unit at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals celebrated a decade of providing renal dialysis for the people of South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire on 26 March 2017.
The Department of Renal Medicine at Doncaster Royal Infirmary first opened its doors to patients with kidney disease on 26 March 2007, as a 12 bed inpatient ward, adding an outpatient clinic in July of the same year. Over the past decade, Ward 32 and 28 have since further expanded to 20 inpatient beds and now hosts an acute haemodialysis area.
The department cares for over 2,000 patients from across South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire. Providing treatment for a range of renal conditions, the unit currently looks after 230 dialysis patients, which is a procedure to remove waste products and excess fluid from the blood when the kidneys stop working properly. It often involves diverting blood to a special machine to be cleaned.
Dr Ian Stott, Consultant Nephrologist at the Trust, said: “Renal dialysis can take a large amount of time out of a patient’s day and even patients with kidney disease who do not require dialysis often need to visit the outpatient clinic frequently. Since opening 10 years ago patients have benefited greatly from receiving their treatment locally. In the past most patients had to travel to Sheffield and some were treated in Leeds or Nottingham. We are very proud of the service we provide to patients and this 10th anniversary is a special milestone in the unit’s history.”
Staff on Ward 32 marked the occasion with a celebration afternoon event for patients and members of local kidney patient support group Doncaster and Bassetlaw Kidney Association.
James Fenwick, a Doncaster resident, said: “Throughout the past decade I have been a user of the Renal Unit at Doncaster Royal Infirmary and was one of the first patients to stay on the ward. Having had a kidney transplant and then gone into rejection, for the past two years I have routinely gone through dialysis and I can’t thank the staff enough for their help and support during this difficult time.
“Eventually another donor was found and a kidney kindly donated anonymously. I can’t thank this person enough, whoever they are, as well as the doctors and nurses who cared for me at both Doncaster Royal Infirmary, and also those at Northern General Hospital who performed my transplant.”
Earlier in the month, the Trust celebrated World Kidney Day, an annual global awareness and education event, held on the second Thursday in March. Every year, countless local, national and international events are organised by kidney charities, healthcare professionals, patient groups and individuals who want to make a difference.