‘We pride ourselves on being very accessible for patients’

CARMEL Kilpatrick, the Western Trust’s Renal Home Therapies Manager, has been working within our local healthcare system for 31 years, and has witnessed huge changes in that time.

In her sunlit office, sitting with her back to a window that faces onto a green, leafy courtyard, Carmel explained the role Omagh Hospital and Primary Care Complex plays in improving renal services for patients in the west. In 2006, along with the renal team, Carmel helped establish the first Renal Home Therapies unit in the North.

“Other renal units have tried to replicate what we have done here in the Western Trust,” said Carmel.

“We pride ourselves on being very accessible for our patients, we give our patients telephone access to our service between 8-5pm Monday-Friday and by providing this service we have demonstrated that we can avert and divert admissions to our acute hospitals. We look after patients prior to dialysis, transplanted patients and patients who do their dialysis at home. We work very closely with our colleagues within the dialysis unit.”

“If it was not for this new hospital,” said Carmel, “we would not be able to deliver all of the procedures and treatment we provide currently. The space we have here makes a big difference, and the benefits are huge for patients and their relatives to have this care so close to home.”

“We know that what we are doing works, but we always need more staff to allow us to do things better,” she continued.

“The team have a ‘what can we do?’ culture in this unit. We are very fortunate to have a team of very stable, skilled, experienced staff. Since our renal unit moved to this hospital, we actually have a waiting list of nurses looking to come and work here. That is testament to our reputation.”

“Our budgets like every other service is being stretched more and more.

“We need urgent resources for further development of our local renal service so that we can meet the needs of our client group.”

In succinct summation, Carmel concluded, “Our service continues to strive to meet our patients’ needs. Our patients, both past and present, are very supportive of our service. Our dedicated team and very pleasant environment make it a great place to work.”