KIDNEY patients across East Lancashire will benefit from a £2.3million investment to install 15 extra dialysis stations at Royal Preston Hospital.

The move will mean a further 60 patients can be treated at the hospital each week and the number of dialysis stations will increase to 26.

The investment will allow patients to receive the most appropriate dialysis treatment for their condition without having to be transferred to outlying units for dialysis treatment.

Since 1985, Royal Preston Hospital has been a regional centre for kidney patients, providing assessment, diagnosis and treatment for patients suffering from kidney disease.

Consultants from the department also hold regular clinics in Chorley, Blackburn and Burnley. There are 12 haemodialysis units, which filter poisons out of the blood, at Accrington.

The Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and the Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust welcomed the news which was announced by Health Minister John Hutton.

Jeff Moore, chief executive of the Preston and Chorley Trusts, hopes that the new extended service for kidney patients will be running by spring 2000.

He said: "We believe that unifying services across the two Trusts has created an environment where patients will receive the best specialist care and where clinical excellence can thrive; ensuring that our tertiary services meet the needs of the local population for many years to come."

An extension to the present kidney unit at Royal Preston Hospital will be built to house the extra dialysis stations.

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