Dialysis unit left unused

The demand for dialysis is increasing

A new £200,000 dialysis centre for kidney patients on the Lincolnshire coast has stood unused for more than a year.

Dialysis Travel, which owns Skegness Dialysis Centre in Ingoldmells, says the facility has been the victim of bureaucratic inefficiency.

The centre has been trying to get clearance from the government to open for 15 months.

The National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) has said its procedures are for the protection of the public.

Travel problems

Dialysis Travel is a private company which treats NHS patients, after prior arrangement with GPs, who are on holiday.

The Skegness and Boston MP Mark Simmonds has called the delays a disgrace.

He said; "I was appalled because there is no renal dialysis in the Skegness area, either for holidaymakers or residents."

The managing director of Dialysis Travel, David Topham, says the hold-up is causing problems for patients who want to use the service while on holiday.

Vetting employees

He said: "We all feel very frustrated for the patients and obviously their families because we have had to turn a number of patients away.

"We have also had to arrange dialysis at alternative locations, especially Hull, who have helped us out on a number of occasions.

"Unfortunately they have not been able to take any more holiday patients so we have had to rearrange and reorganise some people's holidays."

NCSC said it was still waiting for information from Dialysis Travel and that it has a robust procedure for vetting employees and making sure facilities came up to standard.