Plan for new dialysis unit on track despite setback
PLANS for a new kidney dialysis unit in Port Talbot are still on track, say health chiefs, despite a setback in finding a suitable location.
Swansea Bay University Health Board is investing £70m over 10 years in improving regional dialysis services for patients in the Swansea Bay, West Wales and Bridgend areas. However, a site in Baglan near the town that had been earmarked became unavailable, forcing the health board to look elsewhere for an alternative.
The board has confirmed a new location in the town has been found and a planning application will be lodged with Neath Port Talbot Council soon, seeking permission for the renal dialysis unit.
Altaf Hussain, regional MS for South Wales West, said he hopes the new location at Stationary House in Acacia Avenue can be open by next year.
Welsh Conservative Dr Hussain, a retired NHS consultant, has campaigned for satellite dialysis units to be opened since being elected in 2021. He said: “I have been in regular touch with Swansea Bay University Health Board about their plans to open a unit to serve the Neath Port Talbot area and also a second unit at Bridgend. Having this extra capacity will make a huge difference to both the provision of dialysis services and also make life easier for patients so that they can access services nearer to home.”
Dr Hussain added: “I have now been told by the health board that the plans for the unit in Port Talbot have had to be changed because the original location at Baglan Retail Park was unavailable for two years. They have now found an alternative site at Stationary House in Acacia Avenue and a preapplication has gone into Neath Port
Talbot planners, with a full planning application now being progressed.
“Provided a public consultation on the venue is not needed, they say that the new unit should be in operation by the first half of next year. This delay is a disappointment, especially after so many years of campaigning by many different people. However, the Bridgend unit, being set up in Brackla, is due to begin operating in November this year, which is welcome news.”
A spokesperson for Swansea Bay University Health Board said: “We identified a suitable site in Port Talbot, only for that to become unavailable due to circumstances beyond our control. We have linked with Neath Port Talbot Council to find alternative sites. One has now been identified and, while we continue to look for other locations, a planning application is due to be submitted to avoid delay in the event no other site is available.
“We can confirm that work on the
Bridgend unit, at a former gym in Brackla, has now commenced. It will be run on behalf of the health board by Fresenius Medical Care, which also runs the three West Wales units, and is anticipated to open in November.”
They added: “With funding from the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee, we have made excellent progress with key elements such as upgrading the five existing haemodialysis units in South-west Wales. Two of these are at Morriston Hospital, with one each in Aberystwyth, Carmarthen and Haverfordwest.
“Patients there are already benefiting from new dialysis machines and other facilities and equipment. However, we also recognise there is a need for additional dialysis units, covering the Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend areas. This will allow patients, who currently have to travel to Morriston or Llantrisant, to be treated closer to home.”