Home Therapies

Some patients choose to do their dialysis at home. This can have several advantages:   

• You spend less time in hospital and more time at home 
• You can schedule dialysis around your life, rather than your life around dialysis  
• You are in charge of your own treatment  

The National Kidney Federation (NKF) has lots of useful information Home Dialysis Resource Centre | National Kidney Federation

There are 2 types of home dialysis:   

1. Peritoneal dialysis – this uses a tube in your tummy which you attach to a machine at night. The dialysis happens whilst you are asleep. More information is available here Peritoneal dialysis (PD) | Kidney Care UK  

1. Home haemodialysis – treatments take 4 to 5 hours and are usually done 3 times per week. You need someone to help you with this (a friend or family member) and usually space within your house or garden for the equipment. More information is available: https://kidneycareuk.org/get-support/free-resources/patient-information-booklets/theres-no-place-like-home-an-introduction-to-home-haemodialysis/    

The home dialysis team trains you and any helpers to do dialysis safely at home. We fund all equipment and energy costs. You continue to have support from the team once you start dialysing at home. 

The following videos have been produced by our patients for the Glasgow Kidney Unit to share their experience with home therapies.

Email: HomeHaemodialysis@ggc.scot.nhs.uk