Conserving water in haemodialysis

When the Canterbury dialysis unit updated its water purification system with the installation of a new reverse osmosis plant in 1997, it was soon apparent that large volumes of reject water were being ‘lost to drain’. Within two years, and with the help of the hospital’s Estates Department, a simple system capable of recycling 800 litres of this water per hour was installed at a cost of £15,000. The system has now been running for over ten years, saving the Trust £7,500 each year on mains water and sewerage costs. A similar system was included in a new-build satellite dialysis unit in Ashford, where the conserved water feeds into the local laundry room. Because water recovery was designed in from the start, the costs were much lower: just £2500.