Focus of our Campaign
It has been established that anyone can contract Kidney Disease and because of modern lifestyles it is on the increase many of us are probably living with the initial stages now. Once it takes a significant hold the treatment is Dialysis and / or transplant. The alternative is DEATH.
Naturally the ideal is to prevent the situation arising in the first place and to monitor the situation before it occurs.
Some Causes of Kidney Disease:
- High Blood Pressure
- Diabetes
- Hereditary
- Heart Disease
- Obesity
- Old Age Injury
- Smoking
Once the damage has set in there is no cure – it can only be managed.
Dialysis keeps you alive but destroys your quality of life, Oban patients are spending THREE full days a week travelling to Fort William to spend a further 3-4 hours on a Dialysis Machine – not very compatible with Patient Wellbeing either physically or mentally.
All 'local' Dialysis Units are working to capacity – there is no slack in the system.
Currently 3 patients travel to Fort William a fourth patient who lives on Mull has had to re-locate to Ayrshire in order to Dialysis at Cross house Hospital. There are two more patients that will probably require Dialysis in the near future. There has to be some planning as to how the system will cope, it is under pressure now how many patients will suffer due to lack of facilities in the future.
NONE OF THIS IS ACCEPTABLE
This is a long term treatment requirement 3 times each every week 52 weeks of the year not a case of treatment on an occasional visit basis. The treatment should be offered on a 'stress free' basis and made as easily accessible as possible. If there was a unit in Oban Hospital any slack in capacity could be taken up by offering it as a service to tourists (the going rate being in the region of £500 per session). Although according to the statistics another unit would soon be up to capacity.
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Current Situation Regarding Dialysis
1 x Oban patient travelling to Vale of Leven (using own vehicle)
3 x Oban patients travelling to Belford by private taxi
1 x Mull patient travelling to Vale of Leven by private taxi currently using Glasgow based private hire twice per week, which means driver is completing a double shift, travelling to Oban then back to Vale
1 x Mull patient travelling to Belford by private taxi
Home Dialysis
1 x Mull patient due to start
2 x Oban patient.
3 x patients who will require Dialysis in near Future
The patients on Home Dialysis will probably have to move on to Haemo Dialysis within next 18 months as peritoneal will deteriorate. This coupled with the three patients requiring dialysis coming through the system will cause a severe logistical problem unless something is done immediately. All current units are running at capacity – where do they go?