Patients suffering kidney failure in Bradford will benefit from a £320,000 expansion in services.

Health chiefs have agreed to increase the numbers of patients undergoing dialysis at St Luke's Hospital by 22 to 132.

The move is part of an injection of nearly £2million into renal services across the region.

The expansion has been prompted by a desperate need for more space in the renal unit which has been full for the last six months.

Demand for kidney care is growing rapidly in Bradford at nearly double the national rate and is expected to rise by 18 per cent this year.

The investment is the latest improvement in care for kidney patients who until 1995 faced a journey to Leeds for treatment.

An extra evening shift for dialysis will be created and the number of dialysis stations increased from ten to 12.

Nurses have been working extra hours to cope with demand in recent months when the existing service became full.

Renal consultant Dr Robin Jeffrey said the extra cash was great news for patients who would die without dialysis.

"It gives us breathing space for about 18 months," he said.

"Many of these patients have not been identified yet, some are in clinics being monitored at the moment.

"In the last few months we have been full but whenever a patient needed to start dialysis by coincidence someone died and they could take their place.

"It was never the case that somebody died because of a lack of dialysis - but it was pure luck."

In a further development costing £50,000, patients needing special surgery to go on the dialysis programme will have it carried out in Bradford for the first time.

The procedure was previously carried out at St James's Hospital in Leeds which has a four-month wait for the operation.

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