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The staycation

Some patients will want to holiday closer to home in Wales. Luckily, there are dialysis centres in some of Wales’ best holiday hotspots.

The Snowdonia National Park, Gower and Aberystwyth all have treatment units close by. But clinching a holiday dialysis slot in Wales is currently a lottery. Many centres operate at over capacity at peak times and holiday dialysis sessions could be cancelled last minute, leaving you stranded, so it's always best to call to confirm your place.

Check ahead

Liz Williams, a nurse who runs the dialysis unit at Bronglais Hospital, says it is often booked out in the summer months. She believes dialysis patients should get away, but warns you could be turned away at short notice.

Her advice is to always check that units cannot cancel holiday sessions due to emergency cases – especially in Wales. For example, the renal unit at Wrexham Maelor Hospital offers twice daily holiday dialysis slots that cannot be cancelled.

Another consideration is the shortage of nephrologists in Wales in the eventuality of an emergency. The nearest specialist for Aberystwyth, for example, is 100 miles away in Swansea.

More facilities

With the number of dialysis patients expected to double over the next decade in the UK, holiday options for dialysis patients are likely to increase. The good news for patients living in Wales is that unlike other parts of the UK, there are no limits on dialysis sessions or a ceiling price, so you won’t have to cut your holiday short.

According to David Heyburn, Renal Network Manager for NHS Wales, facilities for dialysis patients are set to dramatically improve. New and larger replacement units with sufficient capacity are planned over the next 12-18 months for Tremadog, Welshpool, Llandrindod Wells, Merthyr Tydfil, Bridgend, Pembrokeshire and Aberystwyth.

The current policy of all Welsh Health Boards is for patients and units to directly approach other units or contact the National Kidney Patients Association to identify and book holidays. But plans are underway to create a central Dialysis Capacity Bureau overseeing Wales, making the booking process easier.

Supporting documents

Dialysis units in Wales