Work starts on Harlow's first ever renal dialysis unit - East and North ...

E&NH0480<strong>Work</strong> <strong>starts</strong> on Harlow’s first ever renaldialysis unitNew £1.5 million service, which will be run by the Trust on the PrincessAlexandra hospital site, should see its first patients treated during earlysummer 2013Stevenage, UK – 16 January 2013 – Early summer 2013 is the target date whenHarlow is set to get its first ever renal dialysis unit, which is being built by the Trust’spartner Diaverum UK. The new facility, which will at the Princess Alexandra Hospitalin Harlow and is costing £1.5 million to create, will have 12 dialysis stations.Once up and running, the new unit will be able to support the dialysis needs ofaround 70 patients at any given time. The vast majority of these individuals will comefrom the Harlow area, including those who are travelling to units at the Lister, RoyalLondon and Broomfield hospitals currently.The Trust’s general manager for renal medicine, Bridget Sanders, said:“Reaching agreement with the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust to lease andmake the changes needed for the dialysis unit we are creating in Harlow is greatnews. Our partner, Diaverum, is now working hard to make sure the new service isready from early Summer of 2013. We know that people from Harlow and thesurrounding areas are making daily trips to dialysis units in Chelmsford and London,so having a service on their door step will be great for them.“At the same time as developing the Harlow unit, we’re also creating a similar servicein Bedford. Once everything is in place by the middle of this year, this means thatthe Lister’s nationally recognised renal dialysis service will act as a hub supportingfour satellite units in St Albans, Luton, Bedford and Harlow – making the service oneof the largest in Eastern England.

2/<strong>Work</strong> <strong>starts</strong> on Harlow’s first ever renal dialysis unitJules Martin, chief operating officer at Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, says:“The best thing about the East and North Hertfordshire outpatient renal service onour site at Harlow is that it’s going to make things so much easier for our patients.No longer will they be expected to travel miles for their treatment. Patients will nowbe able to access a fantastic first class renal service on their doorstep. We’redelighted we can be part of making these improvements to our hospital and in sodoing improve care for our community.”Following a formal tendering and procurement process carried out by the East ofEngland Specialised Commissioning Group, which now forms part of the Midlandsand East Specialised Commissioning Group, the Trust was asked to create two newsatellite renal dialysis units in Bedford and Harlow. The Trust’s bid was a joint oneput forward by its renal dialysis team, working closely with its specialist independentsector partner, Diaverum UK.Over the coming weeks and months, the Trust’s renal team will continue talking withits patients from the Harlow and Bedford areas, advising them about the newdevelopments. The Trust’s team is also in the process of contacting those fromthese areas who are getting their dialysis in units in other parts of Essex or Londonwho may be interested in transferring to the Harlow and Bedford units when theyopen next year.Local people currently having their dialysis elsewhere in Essex or north London whomay wish to consider transferring to new facility in Harlow should call 01438 285385for more information.- ends -

3/<strong>Work</strong> <strong>starts</strong> on Harlow’s first ever renal dialysis unitNotes to editors Diaverum is one of the world’s largest independent renal care providers. It devotes all itsefforts to developing the best renal care services in the fields of dialysis, transplantation,preventive care and lifestyle related services. More than five percent of the world’s adult population is suffering from some kind ofkidney disease. Almost two million people have to receive ongoing dialysis treatment,several times a week. For further information on Diaverum, please go to its website. For more information aboutthe Trust’s renal dialysis services please click here.For more information, please call Peter Gibson, associate director for public affairs on:01438 781522 (direct line) or Sue Thaw, communications manager on: 01438 781736(direct line); for out-of-hours calls, please page the duty press officer on 07659 103839.Follow the latest Trust developments on Twitter (@enherts) and Facebook