Kidney Care Centre in 'planning stage' for Schofield Street

A new Kidney Care Centre on Schofield Street in Heywood is in the early planning stages.

The centre would provide renal dialysis, renal outpatient care and general nephrology services.

A number of providers are currently involved in the delivery of renal services for HMR’s population, such as Salford Royal Foundation Trust (SRFT), who provide pre-dialysis, dialysis care and pre- and post-transplant care. SRFT sub-contract Fresenius to provide the dialysis services: most HMR patients access the dialysis unit currently based in Rochdale Infirmary.

Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust (PAHT) previously provided nephrology outpatients and anaemia services however this responsibility is currently transferring to SRFT, to create one single renal services provider for HMR CCG. NHS England, Bury CCG, Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale CCG, SRFT and PAHT have worked closely together to review the current renal services in Bury and HMR.

The proposal is to close the current Rochdale dialysis unit based at Rochdale Infirmary and build a purpose-built kidney care centre to provide pre-dialysis, dialysis and some general nephrology services in Heywood. Bury CCG have given their approval to the proposed service reconfiguration.

The principle reasons for building a new kidney care centre in Heywood are:

• The current renal dialysis facility at Rochdale Infirmary does not meet the Health Building Note Satellite Dialysis Unit guidance and needs to be closed. The current facility could not be refurbished to meet the terms of the guidance.
• Large numbers of pre-dialysis and pre-transplant patients have to travel to Salford for frequent appointments; the new kidney care centre would provide care closer to home for these patients. Over 600 appointments annually would be transferred to the Heywood kidney care centre from the Salford clinic.
• There is no renal dialysis provision in Bury and other Greater Manchester sites are struggling to meet demand; the new unit would service HMR and Bury patients equally in purpose-built modern surroundings with free parking.

Following a more detailed review of nephrology services, it will be possible to maintain general nephrology outpatients at the Rochdale Infirmary site and/or to deliver these services in Heywood.

An NHS spokesperson said: "Patients will be formally engaged with and asked to give their opinions about the proposed new service soon."

There will be no additional costs to the CCG in the development of the new kidney care centre in Heywood, as the costs will be funded by the renal dialysis sub-contractor Fresenius. There are plans to ensure that the current renal dialysis unit in Rochdale Infirmary will be utilised for other services, which form part of the redesign of the Rochdale Infirmary site into a community-based health and social care centre for the HMR population.