SaTH hosts focus groups on renal dialysis services proposal

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) is holding focus groups about a proposal to move non-acute renal dialysis services from Princess Royal Hospital (PRH), to a new location in Stafford Park, Telford.

NHS logoDialysis is a medical procedure for patients with low or no kidney functions. Machines are used to filter waste products and excess fluids from the patients’ blood, aiding or completely replacing the main job of the kidneys. The procedure is usually carried out three times per week, and can take around four hours per session.

Dialysis services for people in this area are currently carried out on Ward 5 at PRH, and at Ludlow Hospital, with acute dialysis taking place at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH).

The service is facing a number challenges however, not just from increased demand due to an ageing population, but also due to an increase in COVID patients suffering from long-term kidney complications.

Additionally, as the current Ward 5 is not compliant with HBN07-01 building standards, it has been difficult to ensure proper social distancing within the facility to protect patients and staff against COVID.

In order to increase renal dialysis capacity, and resolve those and other issues, it has been proposed that non-acute renal dialysis services be moved from PRH to a new, “purpose-built”, offsite facility at Hollinswood House, Stafford Park. As well as providing more capacity for dialysis now and in the future, this would also enable Ward 5 to be changed back into an inpatient ward for emergency patients.

SaTH estimates that the cost of moving dialysis to this new facility would be around £4.5 million, while the cost of converting Ward 5 to an inpatient ward would be an additional £500,000, funded by capital investment.

No decision has been made yet, and SaTH is seeking the views of patients. They are asking all of their renal patients, carers, and the public to take part in their virtual focus group sessions to share their feedback.

These focus group sessions will take place on the following dates:

  • Tuesday 18 January 2022, from 7:30pm until 8:30pm
  • Wednesday 19 January 2022, from 7:30pm until 8:30pm

These sessions will be held via Microsoft Teams, which can be downloaded from the Microsoft Teams website.

You can email SaTH to book a place on one of these focus groups. Alternatively, you can call 01743 492390 and leave a message with your contact details.

If you are unable to attend but would still like to share your feedback, you can complete the online survey on their SurveyMonkey page.

For more information, visit the SaTH renal dialysis services January 2022 page.

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