A NEW unit is to open which will enable people who need kidney dialysis to have their treatment nearer to home.

The unit, which has just been given planning permission by Bexley Council, will be housed in a temporary building at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup.

Once emergency services and support facilities have been removed from the Sidcup hospital, under the A Picture of Health proposals, it is intended to create a permanent dialysis and kidney treatment centre, using some of the vacated space in one of Queen Mary’s main buildings.

In the meantime, for up to two years, dialysis will be carried out in the temporary building.

Currently there are around 80 patients in the Bexley area who have to travel to Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London to receive treatment at least three times a week.

It is hoped the new unit will be up and running by this spring, and will be able to offer immediate treatment for 40 patients.

Housed in a modular building being brought onto the site, the renal dialysis clinic will be located on an empty piece of land which used to be occupied by Queen Mary’s IT department building, which was demolished in 2007.

In a statement to last week’s council planning committee, the Guy’s and St Thomas’ trust said its renal services were coming under increasing pressure because of the limited facilities available in south east London, the longer life expectancy for patients and the lack of scope for expansion.

It said there was also a need to provide services closer to people’s homes, and added: “There is an urgent clinical need which has to be satisfied immediately.”

The dialysis clinic will have two treatment sessions a day, each lasting three to four hours.

With 11 treatment stations and 12 staff, it will be able to treat up to 44 patients a week.

Colin Gentile, finance director of the South London Healthcare Trust which runs Queen Mary's, said: “We are delighted.

" This is one of the services we have been looking forward to providing to our community and having this permission enables us to start providing it sooner. "