Penzance Dialysis Unit Contaminated with Hepatitis

Penzance Dialysis Unit Contaminated with Hepatitis
Wednesday, June 22, 2011bricarukFollow
We were coming to Cornwall for a family holiday. One member of my family, my husband, now won't be joining the rest of us in Newlyn this next week. Why? Because my husband is a renal dialysis patient, currently dialysing at our local unit in Basingstoke run by Fresenius.My husband has been booked in with the unit in Penzance for months as a holiday dialysis patient.

Unfortunately today we were told thast he will not be able to go there for dialysis unless he is prepared to be contaminated with Hepatitis. At some point at the beginning of April the unit dialysed a visiting patient who had Hepatitis 2. That patient went on to contaminate the dialysis machine they were on.

The staff don't know which machine that was but now anyone using those machines at the unit can get contaminated with Hepatitis. The implications of this disease for a renal patient can be catastrophic. Their immunity is already lowered and the potential threat from Hepatitis can leave them open to a long and dangerous recovery. They, on returning to their home dialysis unit then have the prospect of 6 months dialysis in isolation and the possibility of passing the disease on to members of the family and other nursing staff that their bodily fluids may come in to contact with.

Surprisingly the staff at the unit and the chief executives office aren't bothered by the prospective of dialysis patients catching Hepatitis.

So if you are currently dialysed in Penzance or know someone who is good luck! Your caring NHS don't care one bit about you or what there machinery might give you..... Happy days!

http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Penzance-Dialysis-Unit-Contaminated-Hepatitis/story-12814495-detail/story.html