Inside one of NI’s busiest renal units as Antrim Hospital delivers 1,450 dialysis sessions a month
Co Antrim woman Jackie Dawson (left), a patient who uses the unit at Antrim Area Hospital each week, pictured with Damien McLaughlin, nurse in charge, and Leanne Dawson.
Sunday 27 September 2026
The renal unit at Antrim Area Hospital is delivering around 1,450 dialysis sessions every month, with health chiefs highlighting the significant pressures facing one of Northern Ireland’s busiest units.
Members of the Northern Health and Social Care Trust board heard about the demands on the 20-station facility, as well as the experience of a patient who attends the unit three times every week.
‘Capacity is an issue we are facing daily’
Damien McLaughlin, nurse in charge, said capacity remains a daily challenge and that Antrim is the only renal unit in Northern Ireland which continues to operate an evening “twilight” dialysis session.
“Capacity is an issue we are facing daily. It is the only one in Northern Ireland to have to run an evening (twilight) session. Twilight was designed for people such as those in education who work during the day but as time has gone on, things have changed and whilst other units have closed twilight, we have kept it running.
“The reality is that we have people coming from across the Trust because we can’t facilitate them during the day.”
Mr McLaughlin contrasted Antrim’s workload with the renal unit at Belfast City Hospital, which he said is twice the size, with 40 stations, and delivers between 1,500 and 1,600 dialysis sessions each month.
The Northern Trust serves a large geographical area spanning Antrim and Newtownabbey, Mid and East Antrim, Causeway Coast and Glens, and Mid Ulster.
Three journeys every week
Newtownabbey woman Jackie Dawson attends the Antrim unit three times a week, leaving home at around 6.30am for her early-morning dialysis sessions.
Jackie was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in 2022. Her condition progressed to the point where she required dialysis three times each week — a routine Mr McLaughlin described as “a very difficult lifestyle”.
Despite the demands of treatment, Jackie told Trust board members about the warm welcome and support she receives from staff.
“They are the best nurses I have ever come across, the doctors and the consultants. They make you feel so welcome. I enjoy going because you meet different people. They are the best of the best.”
Her daughter Leanne said that at the beginning of her mum’s dialysis journey she was “quite concerned” about how Jackie would cope and the potential impact on her mental health of having to attend hospital three times every week. She feared the experience could even prove “more detrimental”.
“It has been anything but. It has not been straightforward but the support has been fantastic from other patients, Damien and consultants.”
Transport a ‘huge challenge’
Mr McLaughlin also highlighted the considerable logistical challenge involved in getting patients to and from dialysis.
He said transport is a “huge challenge and takes a huge amount of organisation”, with patients travelling from as far away as Castlerock. Some leave home as early as 5.30am, while those attending twilight sessions may not return home until as late as 1am.
With around 60 patients attending the unit each day, he said coordinating treatment and transport requires a “huge amount of organisation and logistics”.
For patients who must return several times every week, staff also work to create a sense of community within the unit and make the hours spent undergoing treatment as positive as possible.
Commenting on that atmosphere, Mr McLaughlin said: “You have to try to lift their spirits and get involved.”
