The development of chronic haemodialysis for irreversible renal failure from the 1960s onwards led to rapid developments in dialyser design and wider availability of dialyers and dialysis machines.

The de Wardener Committee recommended in 1966 that there should thirty properly funded dialysis units across the UK, and all required expertise to service and maintain dialysis equipment in dialysis units. Renal technicians (also known as renal technologists)  quickly became an integral part of the renal team in every unit.

Read personal memories of the early development of haemodialysis  in the Oxford Kidney Unit by Andy Mosson, a renal technician in those early days.

By 1975 the Association of Renal Technologists had been established and remains the professional organisation providing their support and education.

The corporate sector became heavily involved in dialysis with a multiple companies developing and selling  dialysers and machines.  The de Wardener Committee recommended that the Ministry of Health should establish evaluation programmes to ensure that reliable data were available to assist sound purchasing choices, whether by individual units or by central procurement.

Read Nick Hoenich’s account of the Newcastle dialyser evaluation programme which he ran, and his assessment of the rapid growth and maturing of the dialysis industry.

Last Updated on April 29, 2024 by John Feehally