Two renal units developed in Leeds.

At Leeds General Infirmary (LGI), dialysis for acute renal failure started as early as 1956, led by urologist Frank Parsons. In 1958, just back from National Service, Chris Blagg by chance found himself thrust into the role of lead physician in Frank Parsons’ haemodialysis service. After going to Seattle in 1963 to learn from Scribner’s pioneering work on chronic dialysis, he returned, only to leave permanently for Seattle in 1966. The  broader context and the specific local LGI development are described in detail in John Turney’s 2013 PhD thesis  (pdf; pages 186-239 focus on events at LGI). 

From the mid-1960s a renal unit was also established at St. James’s University Hospital, which in due course also included a kidney transplantation programme and children’s renal services.

The developments at St. James’ have been recorded by Sandy Davison. Es Will provides complementary information about these developments.

The first formally appointed nephrologist in Leeds, Stanley Rosen,  was a joint appointment at LGI and SJUH in 1966.  But after he left for the USA in 1973, the two units did not find  it easy to achieve coordinated development. Es Will (with a personal recollection from Stanley Rosen) reflects on the  history of this period.

Unification talks eventually began in 1997, leading soon  to consolidation of all the Leeds renal services at Leeds St. James’s, finally achieved in full in 2006.

Last Updated on November 6, 2025 by neilturn