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Letter from Michael Hill and Gary Lloyd (NKF Co-Chairmen) to 6 September 2004 Ms Rosie Winterton MP Dear Ms Winterton Haemodialysis away from Home UnitThank you for your reply to our letter of the 26th July. May we say how disappointed we are that your reply does not respond to the case detailed in the original paper and developed in subsequent correspondence. We do understand the Government’s strategy and again make the point that in “the broad overarching standards” there is a place for setting a standard for dialysis away from home. This may well seem insignificant in the wider scheme of things, but to the haemodialysis patient it is a vital contribution to their well-being and your confirmation that you do not support the withdrawal of the right to take a break away from home. May we repeat that we cannot see how current policy precludes a standard of a minimum of four weeks dialysis. This is not a mandatory central instruction but simply a recommendation and a starting point for patients trying to secure a fair deal. Your letter concludes, “A recurrent theme of the new standards is increasingly personalised care, responsive to patients needs and wishes”. A kidney patient wishes to have a break away from home and does need the opportunity to have dialysis. Anything less casts a shadow over current patient-centered policies. Yours sincerely
Michael Hill & Gary Lloyd Cc John Reid MP, Secretary of State for Health |