Programme Documents & Resources

The National Renal Office tracks End-Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD) prevalence by location and the mode of treatment for patients receiving renal replacement therapy in Ireland. The annual reports for each year can be accessed in this section.

For the past two years, COVID-19 has severely impacted on the management of End-Stage Kidney Disease as these patients were very vulnerable to COVID-19 infection. Several countries reported that due to COVID-19 pandemic the number of patients on dialysis decreased. Fortunately, the measures undertaken by the HSE and the NRO proved very effective.

In Ireland, since the COVID-19 pandemic, in-centre haemodialysis patient numbers rose from 1925 patients to 2019 patients. This is a 5% increase in the in-centre dialysis patient population. The number of patients who chose home dialysis therapy also increased, from 256 patients to 298 patients. This is a 16% growth in home therapy patient numbers.

While 2020 saw the largest growth in the number of patients requiring dialysis in 10 years, growth in 2021 was comparable to the growth seen in the pre-pandemic era. Growth occurred primarily in home dialysis therapies which accounted for 60% of the increase in patient numbers in 2021.

The NRO and the HSE have successfully delivered a vaccination programme for patients with severe renal failure, patients on dialysis and patients with a functioning kidney transplant. Patients in these groups have been offered a three dose primary vaccination programme and are in line for fourth booster dose at the appropriate time. The introduction of the COVID-19 vaccines has considerably improved patient outcome in these groups.

Over 400,000 dialysis treatments were delivered nationally by the HSE in 2021.

Activity Summary 2021

Over 315,000 in centre haemodialysis treatments were delivered in 23 centres.
Over 100,000 home dialysis therapy treatment were delivered in Ireland in 2021.
The National Kidney Transplant Programme activity increased compared to 2020 but remains below pre-pandemic era activity.
In 2021, the number of patients alive with a functioning transplant increased by 40 patients. Before COVID-19, annual growth was 74 additional patients per year.

The NRO has also produced specific guidance documents and policy updates which can be accessed in this section.

These include: