Minimal care

[Garry]

Hi All,

Many years ago we used to have a minimal care area where, as the name suggests, patients would come to dialyse themselves at pre-arranged time slots with minimal staffing input.  It worked well for those who wanted the independence or slightly more flexibility than dialysing in centre offered.  Ours happened to be on the hospital site but I remember in the late 1980s another  hospital having one in a local residential street.

Patients who could not accommodate dialysis at home (or preferred not to) also made use of the unit.
I'm unsure how easy it would be nowadays to set something up like this offsite.  Do any other units off this dialysis option?

Any views, from those with and without, on the advantages/disadvantages of such a set up and relevance for the future of dialysis?

Cheers

[Chris Bates]

Hi Garry,

Something like this ?   http://www.belfasttrust.hscni.net/about/OfficialOpeningofSelfCareDialysisUnit.htm 

We are hoping to open a new satellite unit next year with a self-care annexe which would be accessible more or less 24/7 eventually.

There are facilities in shopping malls somewhere in Europe - Denmark possibly

[Chris Pearson]

Hi Gary,
I'm not sure if the York Renal Unit guys come on here so just in case not they have a wonderful fairly new purpose built minimal care unit at Harrogate and I think are building another.
I'm sure they would help and if required arrange a visit for you.
As far as I'm aware it's just turn up and dialyse when you want with keypad entry.

[Ian Wilde]

Hi Garry,  we are just having 2 new satellites being built with self care areas. Up until 2 years ago we had a self care facility that was 6 stations and the only permanent staff were a couple of house keepers. Our existing in centre facility and current satellite also have self care areas. Nothing is a stand alone self care centre anymore in Manchester though.