£2.8m for new Welshpool dialysis unit

21/07/2011 @ 10:44

Health Minister Lesley Griffiths has announced that £2.8million has been released for a new, purpose-built facility providing dialysis services to kidney patients in Montgomeryshire.

The new 12-station, eco-friendly, unit will be built in the grounds of the Victoria Memorial Hospital in Welshpool and Powys Local Health Board, working with the Welsh Renal Clinical Network, aims to treat its first patients in Autumn 2012.

The Minister made the announcement while visiting the Welsh Government-funded temporary renal dialysis service at the Victoria Memorial Hospital.

The Minister announced: “The temporary unit at the Victoria Memorial Hospital is making a huge difference to the lives of many kidney patients across North Powys. It has saved many patients needing dialysis from regular and sometimes lengthy journeys beyond Powys for their treatment.

“The development of a purpose-built unit can now begin, giving those patients a permanent base for treatment. It also means a long-term alleviation of the pressure put on hospitals such as the Royal Shrewsbury, which took patients from the area before dialysis was available locally.

“The Welsh Government is investing significantly to improve access to renal dialysis services. The new unit in Welshpool, and that being planned for Llandrindod Wells, is part of this work.”

Mel Evans, Chairman of Powys Teaching Local Health Board, said: “I am delighted that the business case for a permanent facility in North Powys has been approved. Powys renal patients are already benefiting enormously from the provision of a local service from the temporary facility and I know will be very pleased to hear that their local access has been secured in the long term.”

The Minister has approved a £2,802,000 Business Justification Case submitted to the Welsh Government by Powys Teaching Local Health Board and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

The unit is sized to serve the need for hospital dialysis for most of the patients from Montgomeryshire, and also to offer dialysis to patients from outside the area. It will also support outpatient clinics and be a base for other renal services including home therapies and anaemia management.