Our main appeal for 2009/10 is the Dialysis Appeal which aims to raise £200,000 to support the expansion of  the Haemodialysis Unit at the Borders General Hospital.

Download Dialysis Patient Flyer here.

Kidney function is essential to life. The kidneys are used to clean your blood, and remove soluble waste products, minerals and excess fluids from the blood. These are transferred to the bladder and expelled from the body as urine. Kidneys also maintain a stable balance of salts, ions and water in the body, and help control your blood pressure.If your kidneys fail you will require dialysis to filter out the waste products in your blood for you.

Haemodialysis is the process of passing a patients blood through a machine, which removes the waste products and then returns the cleansed blood to the body.Patients on haemodialysis must receive their treatment three times a week. The process takes on average 4 hours, during which time the patient is attached to the dialysis machine. Depending on the nature of their condition, and their personal circumstances, some people choose to dialyse at home. For many others,receiving their treatment in hospital is the best option for them.

The Dialysis Unit at the Borders General Hospital currently has 6 stations, and treats 36 patients each week. Following a decision by the NHS Borders Board, work on the expansion of the Unit will commence during summer 2010, doubling the capacity to 72 patients. The Dialysis Appeal aims to raise £200,000 to support the expansion through the provision of additional equipment, facilities and services to benefit the patients whilst they receive their life saving treatment.