BURNLEY MP Peter Pike has pledged to "keep up the pressure" for better kidney services as the town celebrates a new dialysis unit.

He tabled a series of questions to the Department of Health during a Commons debate on renal care after hearing the news of the extra facility.

He quizzed Ministers about the effect of the National Service Framework on Renal Services, which is due to be published soon, as well as about the expansion of donor schemes, and about expanding the use of asystolic donor transplants.

David Lammy, the Minister responsible, answered on behalf of the Government.

Mr Pike said: "I am pleased that the National Service Framework on Renal Services will allow local flexibility and set overarching targets. I will obviously wait to see a copy of the framework when it is published to see what else it contains but am hopeful that it will set out some ambitious and achievable targets for treating and preventing kidney disease.

"The Minister clearly recognises that successful kidney transplants are better for both patient and for the NHS purse and I welcome the research which shows that asystolic, or non-beating, donor kidneys are proving to be as effective as heartbeating donor transplants.

"The difficulties in matching donors would be greatly helped if more electoral officers sent out donor forms with the electoral registration papers.

"Patients on haemodialysis are greatly limited in what they can do as they are so firmly tied to their regular treatment.

"That is why I welcomed the announcement of a unit in Burnley which will mean more Burnley patients receiving treatment closer to their home.

"The real solution though is increasing the number of kidney transplants and effective action both through getting more people to sign up as donors, and increased use of asystolic donor kidneys will help greatly to achieve that."