NHS Grampian is set to offer dialysis patients across the North East the option to undertake their own treatment at-home following a successful pilot of home haemodialysis which filters toxins from the blood of people with kidney conditions.

People accepted for home dialysis will go through a period of education and training – and have all the equipment set up – before treatment can begin.

NHS Grampian has also partnered with specialist contractors to convert an area in people’s homes into a treatment space where specialist equipment can be installed.

Service Manager, Scott Arnot says while not suitable for everyone, at-home care can help patients to “enjoy a more normal and fulfilling lifestyle”:

“There are huge benefits for patients who have their care in their control and can decide when treatment works best for them and whether to dialyse more frequently for shorter periods.

“Our clinical nursing team will always be at the end of a phone, via video call and will also make routine visits.”   

NHS Grampian supports around 250 haemodialysis patients at any one time across a network of specialist facilities.

Home dialysis can provide those who are suitable for it with more flexibility to fit the treatment into their lives, without spending time on travel.

Patients typically attend a dialysis unit three times a week for around four hours at a time, many with lengthy commutes to and from their local unit. 

After successfully supporting four patients last year, NHS Grampian hopes to make at-home treatment possible for 20 more patients this year.

One patient involved in the pilot, 54-year-old Victoria Adams-Ross, was diagnosed with kidney disease at five months old.

She spent most of her life without needing haemodialysis but has been on a kidney transplant waiting list since things took for the worse in 2021.

She says that her experience so far has been life-changing, giving her more freedom to do the things she loves:

“The anxiety levels are so much less, as I was so stressed about getting the bus over to the unit in the mornings.

“It’s so much more relaxed at home – you’re in your own house, you can sit and watch TV, listen to music. I can have my heating on full blast with my electric blanket on and I choose what time I do my dialysis now. I’m beginning to feel better.”

Ms Adams-Ross has to spend two and a half hours on dialysis five days a week and says there are some common misconceptions about people living with kidney disease:

“I love to swim and I can swim in the morning and do the dialysis in the afternoon. That means I can sleep after if I need to. Sometimes before, having it in the morning would wipe me out for the rest of the day.

“People think you can do dialysis and go to work – some people are fine, others aren't.

“Sometimes dialysis makes me feel very ill and I need to use a zimmer frame or walking stick as I feel so dizzy and sick, other days I’m fine.

“Not everyone’s kidney disease is the same and if you get a transplant, it's not guaranteed to work.”

Anyone completing haemodialysis at home requires the support of another person, which Victoria explained is a “lot to ask” but her beyond just the home comfort:

“You can’t do it on your own. It’s a lot to ask people to give up their time, especially at this time of year, but it’s worth it.

“I missed out on so many things before, like celebrating my mum’s 70 years of volunteering, but I can go now.”  

The purchasing of specialist equipment to make haemodialysis at home has been supported by NHS Grampian Charity. 

Lisa Duthie, NHS Grampian Charity Lead, said it is “wonderful” to hear the positive impact at-home treatment has on patients in Grampian and looks forward to seeing many more people benefit in 2025.

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