The NKF have been addressing the increasing cost of home dialysis as part of our home dialysis campaign.

We have written to Chief Executives of NHS Trusts, Clinical Directors of Renal Services, members of the All Party Parliamentary Kidney Group and chairs of all the Kidney Patient Associations, on Wednesday 6^th July we went to Parliament and hosted a Parliamentary Reception to make even more people including Lords and MP’s aware of home dialysis, including the cost of dialysis at home and the reimbursement for patients.  

We are so pleased to share the great news that NHS England will be actioning reimbursement of additional utility costs for patients receiving home dialysis and there are systems in place to enable patients to reclaim these costs from their dialysis provider (NHS Trust).

Throughout the last few months, we have been doing everything we can to campaign about meeting the cost of home dialysis treatment.

It is vital that home dialysis remains a freedom of choice.

Thank you for all your continued support and for taking the time to write to the clinical directors of renal services.

NHS England is undertaking the following actions:
- Working with specialised renal hospitals to ensure that reimbursement processes are available for all patients undertaking home haemodialysis therapy (as mandated within service specification [A06/S] Haemodialysis to treat established renal failure performed in a patients home)

- Supporting those hospitals who do not have a robust process in place for reimbursement to develop one, liaising with regional renal clinical networks and other regional hospital providers for support and guidance as required.

- Signposting hospitals to supportive reimbursement guidance and tools, for example those developed by renal charity groups such as the UK Kidney Association.

- Asking all hospitals to pro-actively establish a comparable reimbursement mechanism for adult patients undertaking home peritoneal dialysis (PD).

- Request that all providers of specialised paediatric renal services establish reimbursement processes for all children undertaking home dialysis treatments. These should be based on the arrangements for adult haemodialysis patients.

- Working with renal clinical networks and regional commissioners to seek regular assurance that a reimbursement process is available for all dialysis patients that need it and identifying and supporting those hospitals that are struggling to implement one.

- Looking to include utility cost reimbursement in revised national renal service specifications when they are re-written/reviewed.

For further information read NHS England’s letter regarding the announcement here.