A new dialysis centre has opened in Purley so kidney patients can get their treatment closer to home.

The satellite centre, in Capella Court, Brighton Road, means kidney patients can go there for haemodialysis rather than travelling to St Helier Hospital.

Sue Woodcock, the lead nurse for renal services, said: “Renal patients need three lengthy sessions of dialysis each week, and, as you can imagine, it’s very time consuming.

"On top of that, patients from Purley have to spend quite a lot of time travelling to and from St Helier Hospital, and it really does add up.

“We hope that this new centre will help to lessen the burden on our renal patients as they’ll be even closer to their treatment centres.

“The design of the new centre is absolutely fabulous, and we’ve already had a lot of positive feedback from our patients.

“The whole layout is circular, and in the middle of it all is a glass atrium which allows the daylight to just stream in.

"It looks really spacious and both patients and staff have got a clear view of everything that’s going on.

“Each dialysis station comes with a fully adjustable electronic chair, a flat screen TV and a Freeview box, so patients can watch their favourite programmes – or listen to digital radio – in comfort.”

The centre also includes eight single rooms, all of which come with their own en-suite facilities. These rooms can be used for patients who need a private room for medical reasons.

For more information about the work of the Trust renal team and the Purley satellite unit, please visit www.epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk/dialysiscentres