THE north of the Isle of Man will have access to a kidney dialysis unit for the first time at Ramsey Cottage Hospital, following recommendations to expand services on the Island.
The Department of Health has agreed, in principal, to creating a satellite renal dialysis unit at the hospital but has not indicated a timescale for its installation. The Department is currently involved in a feasibility study to assess the environmental impact of the proposed facility.
The decision follows recommendations within the recently released document ‘A Strategic Framework for Kidney Care in the Isle of Man, 2010 - 2020’.
The strategic framework highlights the urgent need to expand the services provided by the existing Renal Unit at Noble’s Hospital due to the ongoing increase in the number of patients with established renal failure, combined with demographic factors such as the predicted rise in the Island’s older population.
A further factor is the necessity to provide an additional dialysis facility, as part of the Renal Service business continuity planning. Noble’s Hospital has seven dialysis stations at present, with the average patient numbers for the Dialysis Unit 2007 to 2010 at approximately 1,288 per year.
The average total dialysis sessions during this period were 3,863, based on patients attending three times a week with, on average. There were also an additional 824 patients seen each year in the community.
The proposed purpose-built unit will initially have four dialysis stations, which it is hoped will be expanded to six over time; this will bring the total number of stations on the Island up from seven to 13.
The new unit will enable patients with stable renal failure, requiring dialysis, to receive their treatment in a community facility designed to support these low risk patients and those with the potential to self dialyse at home. The satellite unit would also enable the Isle of Man to offer an enhanced dialysis service to Island visitors.
Minister for Health, Mr David Anderson MHK, said, “Due to the constant pressure on the existing dialysis service at Noble’s Hospital, it is necessary that we plan ahead in order to meet the future predicted capacity of this vital service for patients with established renal disease.
Much work has gone into the identification of the future requirements for the Island’s Renal Service, including the planned appointment of a consultant nephrologist to lead the service. The Department’s decision to develop a community renal dialysis satellite unit at RDCH will contribute greatly to relieving some of the pressures that this demanding service is experiencing.
“It is also consistent with the Department’s approach of services closer to the patient’s home, referred to in the recently released Strategy for the Future of Health Services in the Isle of Man”.
Janet Grib, hospital manager at RDCH, added, “I am delighted with the Department of Health’s decision to locate this much needed, predominantly nurse-led service within our community hospital at Ramsey. We are looking forward to working alongside our colleagues in secondary care, in order to train our staff and to develop this specialised community service for the Island’s population.”
