Expanding dialysis capacity - opportunities in new community hospitals

The inexorable increase in the number of people requiring dialysis was flagged in the community hospitals & services white paper. So it was great to see the policy translated into delivery. The first dialysis unit in a new community hospital was opened at Aldeburgh Hospital in Suffolk on 1 February. This will improve the experience of dialysis for local people and free up capacity at Ipswich Hospital.

All concerned should congratulate themselves on delivering this new service. Carole Taylor-Brown, CEO of Suffolk Primary Care Trust told guests at the opening that the dialysis unit would not have been possible without the generosity of the League of Friends. The money was raised through legacies, donations and coffee mornings. Jean Flick, Chairman of the League of Friends said “all the local people, pubs, women’s institutes and others have given us a lot of money and we are over the moon with the new facility – it’s just fantastic”.

Bedtime reading: Principles for accountability: putting the public at the heart of the NHS

Principles for accountability: putting the public at the heart of the NHS
The NHS wants and needs to be more accountable to patients and the public, says the NHS Confederation in this report

Read more here

Bedtime reading: Dialogue of equals

Dialogue of Equals - The Pacesetters programme Community Engagement Guide
The guide has been written to support NHS organisations participating on the Pacesetters programme to better engage with seldom-heard communities. Read more here

Our NHS Our Future (The Health Foundation's submission Jan 08)

Have you contributed to Lord Darzi's review of the NHS yet? Several of the workstreams - long term conditions, acute care, planned care, children, end of life care to name but 5 of the 8 pathways are relevant to kidney care. That's not to say the other 3 aren't. You may be interested in seeing the response of the Health Foundation which is a charitable foundation that aims to improve the quality of healthcare across the UK and beyond. If you do want to contribute and haven't yet done so, do have a look at Our NHS Our Future - have your say. If you want to know the names of the chairs of the workstreams in your region I am happy to provide them.