Celebrating 25 years of Antrim Area Hospital's renal unit

THE Northern Health and Social Care Trust has held a special event to mark the 25th anniversary of the renal unit at Antrim Area Hospital.

The service started off in a single bay in the hospital back in 1995, before moving into its purpose-built centre in 2000.

Earlier this month staff, former staff, patients and their family members came together to celebrate and reflect on the unit’s ongoing development through the years.

Beginning with six dialysis stations and treating 24 patients, it now operates with 20 stations in the unit itself, with a further six within the main hospital, supporting over 300 patients at all stages of the renal journey as demand continues to grow.

This includes individuals on home haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis who are supported by a home therapies team while a specialised low clearance team supports patients with advanced chronic kidney disease to manage their condition and prepare for future treatments like dialysis or a kidney transplant.

The celebration was a particularly proud occasion for former Charge Nurse, Gerry Totten.

He played a key role in establishing the service in its early days and he continues to work in the unit.

“We started off on a two-shift basis, six days a week, in response to an increase in the number of patients requiring dialysis throughout Northern Ireland, and things have progressed a lot over the last 25 years to what we’ve got today,” he said.

Also in attendance at the celebration was BBC presenter Stephen Watson, an ambassador of the Northern Ireland Kidney Research Fund and a double kidney transplant recipient.

He shared his personal story, and paid a moving tribute to the renal team for their commitment to the service and those in their care.