Fareham Community Hospital sees work begin on new 25-bed renal dialysis unit

EXPANSION work at a hospital in Fareham has begun to create a new multimillion-pound renal dialysis unit, which will treat more than 150 patients a week.
Richard Lemmer
By Richard Lemmer
Published 20th Jan 2023, 13:04 BST
Updated 20th Jan 2023, 13:27 BST
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Planning permission for the 25-bed centre has been approved and the new modular build on the Fareham Community Hospital site, in Brook Lane, will begin to take shape in the next few months.

The unit is set to open its doors in the spring, providing life-saving treatment closer to home for an additional 150 patients a week.

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The area has seen an increase in need for dialysis treatment since the Covid-19 pandemic and the new centre is vital to provide further capacity for those patients, according to a Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust spokeswoman.

A CGI mock-up of what the new renal unit at the Fareham hospital.A CGI mock-up of what the new renal unit at the Fareham hospital.
A CGI mock-up of what the new renal unit at the Fareham hospital.
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Natalie Borman, the divisional director for networked services and consultant nephrologist at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, said: ‘We are very excited to see the building work starting for our new 25-station dialysis facility next to Fareham Community Hospital after our successful planning application.

‘For patients, living with kidney failure, the burden of travelling for their life-saving treatment three times a week has a big impact on quality of life for them and their families.’

Patients across the region will save more than 380,000 miles in travel distance, according to forecasts from the trust.

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Works have begun to open a new renal dialysis unit at Fareham Community Hospital.Works have begun to open a new renal dialysis unit at Fareham Community Hospital.
Works have begun to open a new renal dialysis unit at Fareham Community Hospital.

It has also responded to comments from patients and residents questioning the location of the new unit.

Ms Borman said: ‘We know people have asked why the centre isn’t going to be built within Fareham Community Hospital and a feasibility study was carried out to see if this would be possible. However due to the space and equipment required for renal dialysis this wasn’t a viable solution.

‘Our home dialysis therapies unit, which is nationally recognised, is still based at the FCH site and the trust has also recently opened a chemotherapy unit and a community diagnostic satellite centre for ultrasound and neurophysiology testing.’

The hospital has struggled with low occupancy for years, with footfall at its facilities peaking at just 40 per cent over the past decade, according to a taskforce created to increase use.

Last March saw the site open up a new chemotherapy unit.

Related topics:FarehamPlanning permissionPatientsCovid-19