Milestone for local healthcare with first peritoneal dialysis procedure completed in full in Mid West

A new milestone has been hit for renal care in the Mid West, according to the WA Country Health Service. For the first time, a patient from the Mid West was able to receive surgery and treatment for peritoneal dialysis from beginning to end without having to travel. Previously having the important procedure — which is one option for those living with kidney failure — meant needing to travel to Perth. The patient had a peritoneal dialysis tube surgery at Geraldton Regional Hospital in November 2022, and then received weekly care from the hospital’s Gaburdiny Renal Centre team, before beginning training for at-home, self-administered dialysis in January. The patient said being able to be treated in Geraldton made the process far smoother. “I have no family or support in Perth, and it would be very disruptive and stressful to travel there,” she said. “There is no place like home.” Providing care that is close to home is one goal of WACHS’s kidney disease strategy 2021-2026. Renal clinical nurse consultant Jenny Clements said close-to-home treatment helped decrease stress for patients and their families. “More people can stay at home and transition on to dialysis without the stress of also leaving the country,” Ms Clements said. “Commencing dialysis is already a huge change in lifestyle and people often feel unwell as they commence their treatment. This is a great step forward for our consumers and their families.” Last year, dialysis treatment came under the spotlight when it was shown waiting times for hemodialysis — another type of dialysis — had more than doubled in Geraldton between 2021 and 2022.