Bedside boost for dialysis patients

RENAL patients at a Swansea Hospital can now get dialysis at every bedside on the specialist ward for the first time.

- JAMES ARNOTT

A £700,000 refurbishment of Cardigan Ward at Morriston Hospital has delivered a major boost to renal patient care.

The ward cares for patients with chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injuries, and transplant cases.

Many of them will require dialysis while admitted. Most treatments take place in one of Morriston’s two dialysis units during the day. However, emergencies and out-of-hours care must often be delivered on the ward.

Previously, only a limited number of dialysis points were available on Cardigan Ward. Often this required patients to be moved, posing logistical challenges and increasing the risk of cross-infection.

Following Welsh Government funding and a five-month refurbishment, all 24 beds are now equipped with dialysis access, eliminating the need to transfer patients for emergency treatment.

Renal consultant Dr Tim Scale said the upgrade was long overdue, particularly in light of challenges faced during the Covid pandemic.