Dialysis patients moving islands for treatment

The States of Guernsey said patients on Alderney were being advised to move to Guernsey for treatment

Dialysis patients have to move to a neighbouring island for the duration of their treatment, which can go on for three years.

Alex Snowdon, one of Alderney's two representatives at the States of Guernsey, asked the government about the situation for people who required treatment for kidney conditions.

A response from deputy George Oswald, Health and Social Care Committee president, said dialysis - a machine which acts as an artificial kidney - was not provided in Alderney due to staffing, equipment, supply chain and clinical support issues.

He added the current advice for patients on the island was to relocate to Guernsey for treatment and there were no plans to bring dialysis to Alderney.

Oswald said treatment can often take about three years until a kidney transplant becomes available.

He said the treatment can also form part of a patient's end-of-life care arrangement.

The response from Oswald said one person had received dialysis care at the Mignot Memorial Hospital in St Anne in 2016.

"When the treatment ended, the equipment was removed from the island," Oswald added.

'Complex' treatment

He said the government would fund a patient's travel to Guernsey for the treatment along with accommodation costs for the first two months.

Patients who required help with accommodation after this timeframe would need to register with population management along with income support if they needed help with living expenses, Oswald said.

He said clinicians leading the care for dialysis patients had advised against providing the treatment in Alderney.

"Renal dialysis is complex and requires the proper infrastructure and resourcing to ensure safe and effective service delivery," Oswald said.