Kidney (Renal)

We provide treatment and support for adult patients with all forms of kidney disease and for patients requiring dialysis or transplantation.

Urgent advice: Covid-19 - Renal

For clear and sensible advice for patients with renal disease (including transplant and dialysis) please visit the Kidney Care UK website.

Outpatients

Nephrology clinic

Patients are often referred to the nephrology clinic by a general practitioner (GP), or by another hospital or by another medical team within Addenbrooke’s. This is run on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons from 1400 (2 pm).

Clinic 12 - General Medicine, Renal and Neurology

Low clearance clinic

Patients are referred when their renal function deteriorates to approximately 15%. This indicates that a patient may need supportive treatment in the future and this clinic is designed to have time to discuss all the options with a patient. The clinic is held on a Thursday afternoon - patients are internally referred from the nephrology and transplant clinics. New referrals from GPs should be sent to the renal consultants who will book the patient into this clinic if appropriate.

Haemodialysis unit

The Addenbrooke's haemodialysis unit has 26 kidney-machine stations in the main unit in two separate rooms. More stations are also available within the hospital for inpatients as needed. Patients attend the haemodialysis unit from the ward or from home, and will need two or (take out) three treatments per week for three or four hours each session. There are also satellite units at King's Lynn (14 stations), Bury St Edmunds (13 stations) and a unit at Hinchingbrooke (14 stations).

The unit also supervises and supports the patients we have who do their own haemodialysis at home.

Dialysis days and time:

Addenbrooke's - Mon–Sat: 07.00–24.00.
Bury St Edmunds and Kings Lynn - Mon–Sat: 07.00–24.00.
Hinchingbrooke - Mon-Sat 07.00-19.30

The dialysis nurses will advise patients of their dialysis session, days and time.

Peritoneal dialysis department

The aim of the peritoneal dialysis department is to support patients carrying out their peritoneal dialysis at home — this can be continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) or automated peritoneal dialysis (APD, by machine overnight). The department has strong links with ward C5, which is where most admissions take place.

The department is open 08.30 to 17.00 Monday to Friday with an on call system for established peritoneal dialysis patients out of hours.

Renal genetics and tubular disorders clinic

This clinic brings together staff from Addenbrooke’s Hospital: nephrology, medical genetics, urology and clinical biochemistry to see patients whose disease usually needs to be looked after by one or more of these specialties. It is located in Clinic 12 of the Outpatients department. You can read more on the renal genetics and tubular disorders clinic web page.

Renal transplant clinic

This is run on Thursday mornings in clinic 12.

Vasculitis and lupus clinic

Patients are referred to this weekly surgical clinic from within the dialysis unit to organise the dialysis access procedures they will need. Read more by downloading the patient information leaflets below.

Inpatients

Ward C5

Ward C5 is a mixed-sex ward with 33 beds, and is the ward where renal patients are usually admitted if they are acutely ill or for medical assessment or for problems associated with dialysis.

Ward G5

Ward G5 is a mixed sex surgical / transplant ward, and is where renal patients will be admitted for their transplant operation or other surgical procedures.

Patient Support Links

Key Staff

View all

Dr John Firth

Consultant physician and nephrologist, CUH

Professor John Bradley

Consultant renal physician and director of research and development

Professor David Thomas

Professor of renal medicine

Kidney (renal)

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