Renal patients now enjoy a greater choice of holiday destinations. And the very fact that they are able to have a holiday is often enough to boost these patients' morale as it offers a welcome change in routine. So, holiday dialysis, although not a priority for some renal patients, has for many become an important part of their care.

Enhancing quality of life

Renal failure has been described as a chronic and progressive illness that undermines the independence of the individual (1). Offering these patients the chance of a holiday can to some extent, give them positive feelings of independence and control over their sometimes compromised lifestyle. And enabling patients to travel can enhance their quality of life, and provide what is often a much needed break for them and their families.

Most renal units throughout the UK, therefore, now provide holiday dialysis arrangements for patients who request this service and they have a designated member of staff whose role includes that of holiday co-ordinator.

But there are often no spaces for holiday patients in NHS dialysis units because most of these units work at, or close to, their full capacity.

To accommodate the increasing numbers of patients asking for holiday dialysis, the use of private holiday dialysis centres is increasing.

Although the use of these private units is more and more necessary to fulfil holiday requirements, the funding arrangements for private units can, sometimes, prove more difficult to secure. Funding for holiday dialysis provided by other NHS units was, in the past, covered by the system of Extra Contractual Referrals (ECRs) which met the costs of these out-of-area treatments.

This system is being replaced, and it is now up to individual health authorities to decide whether or not they are willing to fund arrangements for holiday dialysis.

Booking the space

The actual booking process for holiday dialysis can sometimes prove a laborious and time-consuming task, too. Much time can be spent simply trying to locate a dialysis unit in the area of choice.

		Holiday directories, such as the one on this Website will greatly help co-ordinators locate and get information on dialysis units. This should speed up the process and reduce the time spent on this task.
		Clear and concise holiday forms can also help the booking process. With a growing demand for this service, the introduction of a national standard document for holiday dialysis would help to streamline holiday dialysis arrangements throughout the UK (2).
		The European directory of dialysis centres, Eurodial, is a helpful guide to foreign dialysis units for patients travelling to the Continent.
		The List, published annually in the Dialysis & Transplantation Journal, gives a comprehensive and up-to-date guide to dialysis centres throughout the world.

Booking abroad

Although owing to language difficulties, the booking process for dialysis in foreign countries can be less straightforward than in the UK, there are usually fewer problems when it comes to availability. Many European countries, such as Spain and France, seem to have little difficulty in finding space for holiday-dialysis patients compared with the UK.

For funding arrangements, most countries that accept the E111 form within the European Union have a reciprocal agreement with the UK.

There is little doubt that, like most of us, dialysis patients look forward to, and benefit from, having a holiday.

For patients who are well enough to travel and who ask for holiday dialysis, it is important that a holiday service should be available to them and reasonable efforts should be made to arrange dialysis at their chosen destination.

By being given the opportunity to enjoy the pleasures of life and to experience a real holiday like "normal" people, patients regain not only their dignity, but also faith in themselves and their future (3).