UHL plan to offer 'soul-destroying' late-night dialysis raises questions about promised unit in Ennis

Irish Kidney Association spokeswoman Gwen O’Donoghue said: 'The reality is that day-time dialysis is more humane.'

Last year 2,502 patients were on dialysis nationally and only 305 could receive this at home. File photo/Gero Breloer

A plan to offer dialysis to end-stage kidney disease patients late into the night in University Hospital Limerick (UHL) has been sharply criticised by the Irish Kidney Association (IKA).

Questions have also been raised about a long-promised new dialysis unit in Ennis with a tender offered as far back as September but not yet awarded.

A source familiar with the night-time plan said most patients who rely on this service are aged over 60. 

“They will have to leave their homes at approximately 10pm and will not return until around 6am, after four hours of dialysis and travel time due to the catchment area of the unit,” they warned.

Some years ago the hospital also offered this option, and the source described the experience as “soul-destroying”. The IKA has also been aware of growing fears across Limerick, Clare and north Tipperary as pressures increase on the unit. 

“The reality is that day-time dialysis is more humane,” spokeswoman Gwen O’Donoghue said. “And it is also cheaper because rather than using night-shift nurses, patients can be treated during the day, making it a win-win situation — more convenient for patients and less expensive for the hospital.” 

She said people could require “a minimum of 156 visits to the hospital dialysis unit per year”. Tiredness and mental health problems are among the challenges facing these patients already, and she said dialysis can “strip a person of their sense of identity and independence”.

She echoed frustrations at delays to opening a new unit in Ennis.

She urged:

We believe a far better option, in this case, for both patients and the overburdened healthcare professionals working in the area is to open a new dialysis unit, which would relieve pressure on the existing unit.

Last year 2,502 patients were on dialysis nationally and only 305 could receive this at home, she said.

A UHL spokesman said the plan to offer “extension of the out-of-hours service” is linked to high demand. “Due to the growing number of patients who require this treatment, we have reached maximum capacity in the Dialysis Unit at UHL,” he said.

Only patients who are able-bodied and preferably live near the hospital will be offered night hours.

He confirmed the tender has not yet been awarded for the Co Clare unit although he said "a preferred supplier has been identified" now. 

“While the tender procedures are finalised, the HSE Midwest has identified funding to support the commencement of this vital service as soon as possible," he added. 

Senator Martin Conway raised questions about the Ennis unit in the Seanad recently saying it makes “complete sense” to move services like this from UHL. To his knowledge "at least 70 or 80 people" travel from Clare for dialysis in Limerick.