This 18 minute piece is based on recordings made at the haemodialysis unit in King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill. Treating over a 100 patients a week, the unit serves the local area and patients from around south east London. Haemodialysis is a life saving treatment, by dialysis machine, delivered for patients three times a week.
Recordings were made of the unit environment, the dialysis machines and the all important water treatment facilities that enable the cleaning of the blood by dialysate solution. It involves diffusion of solutes across a semipermeable membrane which cleans the blood of impurities and balance fluid levels. The process takes between 3-5 hours depending on the type of patient. The work opens with sister Rachel Mwansa introducing the unit before the recordings are allowed to take their own narrative.
The programme was made with the full support and consent of the renal unit and hospital. Thanks also to Rachel Mwansa, Janet Allman, Katrina Casely-Ready, Gary Maul and Barry Tomkins for their help and assistance.
This piece is an extension of material used in the making of 'Radio Dialysis' a radio piece made for the Radia network and first aired on Resonance104.4FM.
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