Featured image: Frank Parsons demonstrating the new Leeds dialysis machine to Harold Himsworth, Director of the Medical Research Council, in 1956.

Histories of individual UK renal units

Units with consultant nephrologists, multiprofessional team(s), and inpatient and outpatient facilities for dialysis. If yours is not yet featured, or to comment or add something to the information posted, please contact us. Our ‘To Do list’ has a full table of units that we are seeking to include, with start dates and some names. 

The development of renal units in the UK

The earliest renal units were established at centres identified by the de Wardener Committee in the 1960s on the basis of appropriate geography or existing experience. This was straightforward in most regions, except for London.

Expansion and amalgamation

Later developments were not necessarily created in such a logically planned manner. At one point London had twelve units in separate medical schools, each providing dialysis and transplantation. It was decades before their distribution was rationalised. Some other large cities had similar issues. In Greater Manchester three units were eventually rationalised by consensus early in the 21st century. In Leeds two units developed and met considerable challenges before consolidating to a single site.

Above we show units as first established. A number have subsequently amalgamated, moved, or changed their names. Additional relevant entries should be identified in their text. 

The UK's units are giants

By our definition there are in 2024 72 renal units in the UK treating adults, of which 25 also provide transplantation services. Covering a population of below 70 million, this makes UK units catchment areas average a little below 1 million, much larger than in most developed countries. There are also 13 paediatric units.

Es Will has written a detailed discussion of the organisational, cultural, social and other influences which impact on the definition and function of a renal unit:  More on unit organisation in the UK

Information sources

Conversations with those involved in setting up units, or early post-holders, are invaluable but not always possible. We hold information from two other places:

John Hopewell - A number of the current entries include substantial information from John Hopewell's archived website (renhist.co.uk) on the history of transplantation and early dialysis in the UK. Origin is attributed on individual pages.  More about him at the John Hopewell's Early History of RRT page below as well as on the Royal Free history page.

Renal Association pages - the RA (now UKKA) used to have a list of units that showed their opening date, capacity, and had space for a concise history and outline. It is possible to access these, see how here.  

We are very open to receiving more information; contact us. 

Last Updated on September 17, 2025 by neilturn