PLANS for a new renal unit for Holsworthy, submitted to Torridge District Council, have been welcomed by residents — but concerns have been raised that it will be provided by a private company and not the NHS.

The company, Renal Service Ltd UK, has applied to convert existing offices in Unit 12, on Holsworthy Industrial Estate, into a haemodialysis outpatient unit.

The news has been welcomed by Esther Fry, of Holsworthy, who for the past four years has had to travel to Exeter for treatment on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, leaving her home as early as 6.30am for four hours of dialysis.

She said: “When I reach home at about 2.15pm I am always very tired and have no energy to do much on Tuesdays and Thursdays either.

“If all I had to do was to go to a unit at Dobles Lane that would be absolute heaven.”

It is not the first time that plans to bring a dialysis unit to Holsworthy have been undertaken. In 2003, after five years of fundraising by the Friends of Holsworthy Hospital to pay for a kidney unit, campaigners were dismayed when they were told their efforts were in vain because the local health authority could not afford the unit’s running costs.

John Allen, chairman of the Friends of Holsworthy Hospital, said: “I welcome the proposal to build a dialysis unit which is badly needed in this area.

“Some 15 years ago, with local patients having to make almost daily trips by taxi to Exeter for treatment, the Friends of Holsworthy Hospital raised a large amount of money to build such a unit at Holsworthy Hospital.

“After seven years of negotiation with the Healthcare Trust, however, it was turned down and all the money donated had to be returned to donors.” Although the Friends raised a large sum, their hopes for a dialysis unit were turned down because the NHS felt running costs would be too high.

Now Renal Service Ltd UK aims to provide Holsworthy with the service. In the company’s design and access statement submitted to Torridge District Council and on the planning website, it states: “At present there are over 230 dialysis centres in the UK. Of these 75% are in the public sector and 25% in the private sector. However, the NHS is privatising the market through a public tendering process, which will see an increase in private providers of satellite-based dialysis services.

“The private sector is therefore an important provider of these essential health services.”

But Dr David Hillebrandt, while voicing support for the new unit, fears it may have a detrimental effect on the future of Holsworthy Hospital as he believes the service should be one provided by the NHS and not a privately owned company.

He said: “I remember discussing this with the League of Friends many years ago. The GPs and Friends were very much in favour of a dialysis unit coming to Holsworthy.

“I am concerned, however, that the NHS is being privatised bit by bit and although it is great that Holsworthy will be getting this much needed dialysis unit I can’t help but wonder why they are not putting it in Holsworthy Hospital.

“There is definitely a need for these services in rural parts of Devon, but this service is going to be taking in NHS patients for dialysis and it worries me that the money won’t be going back to our local hospital but into a private business.

“We will just have to keep our eyes open as this proposal gets underway.”