Success in our campaign for home dialysis energy reimbursement in Scotland
People living with kidney disease on home dialysis in Scotland, as in the UK as a whole, have faced significant and increasing challenges and stresses as a result of the ongoing cost of living crisis. This crisis has seen energy costs soar and consequently the utility bills of those on home dialysis rise.
Published in September 2023 as part of our cost of living campaign in Scotland, Kidney Care UK's Home Dialysis Energy Reimbursement in Scotland report found differences between health boards in terms of home dialysis energy reimbursement and that there was a clear need for national policy guidelines in Scotland to ensure all health boards have a policy in place for this purpose and that all people with kidney disease, on all modes of home dialysis, are fully, fairly, without complication and in a timely manner reimbursed for the additional energy costs of having dialysis at home.
Following campaigning from Kidney Care UK, on 1 February 2024 the Scottish government confirmed the introduction of their first-ever national guidelines for reimbursement for people on home dialysis in Scotland.
The guidance has been sent to health board chief executives and will be reviewed in six to 12 months to ensure that it is achieving the intended effect of improved energy support for people who choose to dialyse at home. It covers people of all ages and on all modalities of dialysis and should not depend on income.
The guidance also asks health boards to consider including reimbursement towards the heating of the room where dialysis takes place and requires them to let people on dialysis know that there is reimbursement available to them. Kidney Care UK will be monitoring this guidance.