Official Opening of the Edgware Renal Centre

Patients with kidney conditions in north London are benefiting from a new facility which has brought treatment closer to their homes.
The Royal Free has invested £3million in a brand new kidney care centre at Edgware Community Hospital which opened at the end of last year. The centre was officially opened on Monday, 26 March, by the mayor of Barnet, Councillor Lisa Rutter. Guests at the event included Matthew Offord, MP for Hendon, and Dr Donal O’Donoghue, the national clinical director for kidney care.
The centre has 29 dialysis stations and five clinic rooms offering a full range of renal services. This includes haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, preparing patients for dialysis and the treatment of chronic kidney disease. The Edgware centre has a self care area, which allows patients to dialyse themselves with minimal staff supervision or prepare for dialysis in their own homes.
The new centre is more convenient for many patients, who previously had to travel from the Edgware area to other dialysis centres across north central London. Care is delivered by the same high quality team of Royal Free staff, saving patients time and making treatment more convenient.
Dr Jenny Cross, dialysis lead clinician at the kidney care centre, said: “We know that if you are travelling several times a week for dialysis, having a shorter journey time is really important. We have listened to the needs of our patients, and we wanted to provide them with a modern, purpose-built facility closer to their homes.
“The opening of Edgware is part of a wider strategy transforming the way we deliver renal services. We want to give our patients more choice about where they have treatment, to offer a range of treatment options in comfortable surroundings and to be able to treat patients in one place without them having to travel to different locations.
“We have begun to offer a more integrated pathway of care for patients with chronic kidney disease in the area, which will deliver diagnostic clinics with a detailed care plan provided for GPs at the new centre.”
Karen Nathan from Bushey has dialysis for three and a half hours, three times a week, at the new Edgware centre. She said: “I used to have to travel to Camden for dialysis but this new centre means I can receive treatment just 10 minutes away from my house. I have to come here three times a week so it’s important to be able to come to facilities that are closer to my house.
“All the staff, including doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants and domestic staff, are helpful and provide an excellent standard of care. We are very fortunate to have this excellent facility.”
Adrian Levy, from Woodside Park, comes to the new centre for regular tests to check on his kidney function. He said: “The facilities at the new centre are like a five-star hotel. All of the staff, from the nurses to the cleaners, are very polite and helpful.
”When you have caring staff around you, it makes you feel so much better as a patient. The new centre is much closer to where I live and it is easier to park here. I feel completely relaxed and special whenever I come here.”
Following the opening of the new centre, the Royal Free will offer a full range of kidney services on one site. By working more closely with local GPs, the aim is to provide a seamless service between GP practices and hospital specialists.
The Edgware centre is the first of three new kidney centres planned over the next 18 months. The Royal Free is preparing to expand the existing Mary Rankin unit at St Pancras and there is also a brand new kidney centre in Tottenham planned.