Renal services and labs were the focus of the latest Board walkround, which was at University Hospital Monklands.
Site Director CJ Graham welcomed Board non-executive members Eileen Logan, Lesley McDonald and Donald Reid, along with Ben Hannan, Director of Service Transformation Planning & Performance, and Arwel Williams, Director of Acute Services.
At the renal unit, which cares for patients with kidney disease, the group heard from Dr Jack Fairweather, Clinical Lead, and other senior members of the team.
The service provides maintenance renal replacement therapy for adults with end-stage renal failure, including haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and support for transplantation pathways, with other patients managed conservatively. Haemodialysis is delivered across three renal dialysis units at Monklands, currently supporting around 230 patients across extended treatment shifts.
The visitors heard that demand has grown as the number of patients with conditions such as obesity and diabetes has risen nationally, meaning the service routinely rises to the challenge of working above capacity. The team explained it was aiming to establish innovative treatment pathways including “incremental dialysis” – which needs fewer dialysis visits at the initial stage – along with a new model for its outpatient services using clinics led by allied health professionals.
There is also a continuing opportunity to explore options for a “satellite” unit so that dialysis is not entirely centralised at Monklands.
Next, the visitors saw the blood sciences lab and the adjoining blood transfusion lab.
The blood sciences lab processes all ward and clinical specimens for Monklands, ensuring they are received, labelled and pre-processed appropriately before going to haematology or biochemistry. The team explained they were looking forward to the conclusion of a refresh of their managed service contract, bringing analyser upgrades across haematology and biochemistry.
The blood transfusion service continues to supply blood to the hospital to support theatres, emergency care, cancer services and St Andrews Hospice.
At the microbiology department, the group saw the main lab and allied services including the serology lab for blood-borne viruses, the MRSA lab, and the containment area – a specially designed space engineered to safely manage, isolate and study dangerous microorganisms.
Concluding the visit, Donald Reid said: “The walkround was tremendous and highly educational. It’s great to see the teams celebrating their successes and handling the various challenges. It means so much to me and the other Board members to get direct feedback from staff.”
