Lifeline site for kidney patients

Land at Sheepfoot Lane up for development as a dialysis unit.

LIFESAVING treatment for kidney patients could soon be on its way to Oldham — along with around 30 new jobs.

Plans for a new dialysis unit at an NHS facility near to the Royal Oldham Hospital could prove vital to local sufferers who frequently have to travel to Salford and Rochdale.

The proposed renal dialysis unit, a satellite site to the main one at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, will be operated by Fresenius Medical Care Renal Services (FMCRS) on behalf of the trust.

Most kidney patients need to have dialysis treatment three times a week for around four hours on each occasion.

The two-floor building on Sheepfoot Lane, adjacent to Oldham Athletic’s Boundary Park is to be developed by Carlton Estates (UK) Limited (CEL) and will also provide modern office facilities to the first floor.

Around 40 patients who currently receive their treatment elsewhere can expect to transfer to the Oldham unit, which will be open six days a week.

The site has been vacant for several years and developers see it as a regeneration opportunity for the town.

The service has been commissioned by the NHS Commissioning Board on behalf of the people of Oldham.
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