Grantham couple call for more beds in Grantham Hospital’s dialysis unit so patients with long-term debilitating illnesses can avoid long trips to Lincoln

A Grantham couple, in their 70s, say more beds are needed in the hospital’s dialysis unit so long trips to Lincoln can be avoided. The couple, who do not wish to be named, write:

We constantly see more planning permission being granted and more homes being built in Grantham, yet basic healthcare services are constantly being cut.

Getting an NHS dentist is no longer an option, seeing a doctor isn’t easy either. These issues I can sort of cope with, but what I’m struggling to understand is why we don’t have more essential treatment facilities available, especially with a growing population.

Myself and my husband are both in our 70s, we have lived and worked in Grantham our whole lives, yet even though my husband has cancer and kidney failure, he has to travel twice a week to Lincoln for his dialysis.

Surely no one can agree this is acceptable. Dialysis is not an option, it is essential treatment that he needs to keep his body going.

The stress it is putting on us as a family is unbelievable.

There is a dialysis unit in Grantham but we are constantly told there is no space available at this present time and he is on the list.

For anyone that doesn’t know, when we have to go to Lincoln for dialysis we are not given a set time. It can be from 8am to 6pm – we are told the night before he is due to go. When we get there my husband has to be connected to a machine, etc – depending on the staff levels and other patients this can take up to 30 minutes, plus the treatment itself is four hours, then a further 15 minutes to be taken and do the checks before he can leave.

The staff are lovely and they are doing their best, but then we have to add the travelling time home, which is another hour. Transport is available but this would only add to the length of time he would be out and also make him more tired than he normally gets.

We need more bed capacity in the Grantham dialysis unit to ensure lifesaving treatments can be delivered without patients already facing long-term debilitating illnesses having to travel for treatment just to stay alive.

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