Dialysis patients THOUSANDS out of pocket amid soaring energy costs

Dialysis patients left THOUSANDS of pounds out of pocket as cost to run machines at home soar – while NHS grants ‘don’t touch the sides’

• Some patients considering cutting out dialysis sessions, campaigners warn
• NHS typically give a few hundred pounds in grants to help run machines at home
• But the spiralling costs of energy mean the grants ‘don’t touch the sides’ 

Kidney patients who undergo dialysis on machines at home are being left thousands of pounds out of pocket due to huge rises in electricity bills.

Campaigners say the patients – who save the NHS money by treating themselves – are struggling to cope financially, with some even considering cutting out dialysis sessions.

NHS hospitals typically give them a few hundred pounds a year to cover the costs of running the energy-hungry machines. 

But the grants ‘don’t even touch the sides’, say patients.

About 5,000 people across Britain dialyse at home, with the other 25,000 having the treatment in hospital, according to the charity Kidney Care UK (KCUK). 

Home dialysis is better for patients – as they can clean out their systems regularly – and cheaper for the NHS because it saves on staffing and transport costs.

Kidney patients who undergo dialysis on machines at home are being left thousands of pounds out of pocket due to huge rises in electricity bills (stock image)  

But many home dialysis patients are now forking out much more than last year to keep the machines running, according to KCUK.

Primary school teacher Ian Copete, 41, who lives in High Wycombe, said: ‘We’re now paying £3,000 a year for home dialysis – at least triple the cost of a year ago.’ 

Fiona Loud, policy director at KCUK, said some patients were looking to cut the number of dialysis sessions and it was a ‘clear and present danger’.

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