Satellite Units

Tyneside Kidney Patients Association


Alnwick Satellite HD Unit

Sunday 29th November 2015 saw the official opening of the Alnwick Unit.

The Freeman Hospital being a regional centre has patients attending HD treatment on ward 31 who may live many miles away in rural Northumberland who not only need to contend with illness but also have the added burden of considerable travel to and from the Freeman.

Its long been recognised by the Trust that an additional resource was needed to the north of Tyneside to not only make our patients lives a little easier but to add additional capacity to the service.

The unit is run in partnership with Renal Service’s Independent Dialysis Centres and is currently supplying 21 of our patients with treatment.

The unit will provide dialysis services for patients living in North Northumberland who have previously had to travel for their thrice weekly treatment at the Freeman Hospital’s Renal Services Centre.

The new service is run by nurses specially trained to provide dialysis and patients will remain under the care of their Newcastle-based Consultant Nephrologists.

Whilst Newcastle Hospitals retains overall responsibility for the quality and safety of the dialysis services, this partnership combines the strengths of the two different healthcare organisations; bringing together the operational effectiveness of Renal Services UK with Newcastle Hospitals’ hugely respected clinical excellence.

Mrs Christine Gill from Lesbury near Alnmouth was thrilled when she heard that she would be one of the first patients to use the new Dialysis Unit in Alnwick, and says it will make a world of difference.


Mrs Gill explains: “The journey from where I live can take up to 40 minutes to an hour each way and this makes for a long day. Being able to literally pop over to Alnwick in minute’s means I will get a huge part of my life back.”

Mrs Gill had a kidney transplant in 2004 but unfortunately this new kidney stopped working last year and she started coming to the Freeman Hospital’s Renal Services Centre for dialysis treatment.

"The staff in Newcastle are wonderful and I will miss them. I've also made many new friends amongst the other patients who come here for their dialysis but I have to say I'm delighted to be able to use the new Unit."

Dr Alison Brown, Consultant Nephrologist and Clinical Lead for Renal Services at Freeman Hospitals says: "This new partnership with Renal Services UK is very exciting. The new unit offers a local and more convenient service for some of our patients, whilst maintaining the standards provided at the Freeman Hospital.

Mrs Gill explains: “The journey from where I live can take up to 40 minutes to an hour each way and this makes for a long day. Being able to literally pop over to Alnwick in minute’s means I will get a huge part of my life back.”

Mrs Gill had a kidney transplant in 2004 but unfortunately this new kidney stopped working last year and she started coming to the Freeman Hospital’s Renal Services Centre for dialysis treatment.

"The staff in Newcastle are wonderful and I will miss them. I've also made many new friends amongst the other patients who come here for their dialysis but I have to say I'm delighted to be able to use the new Unit."

Dr Alison Brown, Consultant Nephrologist and Clinical Lead for Renal Services at Freeman Hospitals says: "This new partnership with Renal Services UK is very exciting. The new unit offers a local and more convenient service for some of our patients, whilst maintaining the standards provided at the Freeman Hospital.

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