Transport for dialysis 'failing'

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Hospital transport services for many kidney patients who need dialysis treatment are not up to scratch, an NHS Information Centre report finds.

The survey of 12,000 patients in England, Wales and Northern Ireland found many face long delays getting to and from their dialysis unit.

Using public or private transport was a swifter option for many than relying on hospital services.

England's Department of Health said all patients should get quality care.

The challenge is for every kidney team to make improvements in this aspect of care a priority Dr Donal O'Donoghuenational clinical director for Kidney Care

Dialysis is the mechanical cleaning of a patient's blood when their kidneys can no longer rid the body of waste materials.

Kidney patients typically require three or four hours of dialysis treatment three times a week.

Hospitals lay on transport to and from dialysis units, but the latest poll found only 61% of patients said the service they were offered met their needs.

In all three countries, patients reported taking less time to get to their dialysis unit, and waiting less time to start their journey home after treatment if they used public or private transport.

In England and Wales, around one in four patients said they had to wait longer than 30 minutes for hospital-provided transport to arrive. In Northern Ireland, the figure was one in eight.

Across the three countries, just a quarter of patients who used public or private transport had a journey time of more than 30 minutes to get treatment.

But of those who relied on hospital transport, 42% had a journey time in excess of 30 minutes.

The figures told a similar story about delays following the completion of a treatment session.

Just 16% of patients who used public or private transport had to wait more than 30 minutes to start their journey home, but for those who used hospital transport the figure was 37%.

Sense of powerlessness

The survey also asked dialysis unit managers and commissioners of services for their views.

This showed that only around one third of units had a clear idea of who should qualify for hospital transport.

Only around half of managers reported having a system in place to monitor the quality of transport for which they are responsible.

And there was a feeling among staff that they were powerless to influence the provision of transport for their patients.

The report authors say arrangements for kidney patient transport should be clear and transparent - and take on board the views of the patients themselves.

This is an issue that can be solved Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership

They also recommend transport should be an important factor in deciding the location of new dialysis units.

Dr Donal O'Donoghue, national clinical director for Kidney Care, said transport to and from dialysis units was a major quality of life issue for patients.

He said: "The challenge is for every kidney team to make improvements in this aspect of care a priority."

Robin Burgess, of the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership, said: "This is an issue that can be solved. Trust managers need to work with commissioners to ensure that transport for kidney care meets the standards set."

A spokesperson for the Department of Health in England said the "audit shows that the majority of kidney patients get to treatment within half an hour and are satisfied with the service they receive.

"We want to ensure that all kidney care patients have the same high quality service and we have written to kidney services across the country to encourage them to draw up local improvement plans for transport for kidney patients."