A new state-of-the-art bus for the NSW Big Red Kidney Bus program was recently launched at Parliament House in Sydney.

The program is operated through a joint partnership between Royal North Shore Hospital and Kidney Health Australia.

The year-round program offers people on haemodialysis the chance to go away on holidays throughout NSW, while ensuring they still receive their life-saving dialysis treatment.

The bus features three comfortable chairs for patients, equipped with dialysis machines and is staffed by dialysis nurses and renal technicians, with six sessions a day available at each destination.

RNSH Medical Director of Dialysis Services Yvonne Shen, who delivered an address at the launch, said the program had received great feedback and repeat visits from families. 

“It provides enormous reassurance and relief for families and loved ones to know they’re receiving the same level of care from our highly trained renal nurses as they would in their own dialysis unit,” she said.

Northern Sydney Local Health District Interim Chief Executive said the district is proud to help deliver a program that offers some reprieve to dialysis patients.
“Living with kidney disease can be very demanding for patients and their loved ones,” he said.

“With the launch of the new bus, patients will be able to have some repieve in a new environment whilst receiving treatment."

The bus has recently been parked at RNSH and will be making its way to Bateman’s Bay in early November.