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.

Between January 1 2010 to January 1 2020, the number of adult patients requiring treatment by dialysis or kidney transplantation increased by approximately 30% to 4,747 patients: 2,171 of these were receiving treatment by dialysis and 2,566 with a kidney transplant.

During this period, the number of patients living with a kidney transplant increased by 74 patients per year compared to 52 extra patients treated by dialysis per year.

However the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 changed this pattern of growth with significantly less patients receiving kidney transplants and an increased demand for dialysis services.

Over these last 3 years (January 1 2020 to January 1 2023), the number of patients living with a kidney transplant has only increased by 21 patients per year while during the same period, 90 extra patients per year required long term dialysis treatment.

2022 saw the number of patients requiring treatment for end stage kidney disease rise above 5,000 for the first time ever.

There was an unprecedented growth in the number of adult patients requiring maintenance in-centre haemodialysis: total number of patients is now 2,153. This represents a 6.6% growth in in-centre haemodialysis provision or 134 additional patients: treatment was primarily provided in Parent Renal Dialysis Units (113 additional patients, 9.2% increase) with some growth in satellite-based haemodialysis unit (21 additional patients, 2.6% increase).

There was a welcome increase in Kidney Transplantation activity in 2022, with 163 people receiving a kidney transplant. However this growth was offset by kidney transplant failure and sadly patient deaths. The total number of adult patients alive with the functioning kidney transplant has only increased by 21 to 2,627 patients.

The number of adult patients receiving dialysis treatment in their home remained virtually unchanged at 297 which is a decrease of only one patient.

The numbers of children requiring treatment for End stage kidney disease has also remained relatively constant at 71 patients - this represents an increase of 2 patients. (3 less patients on dialysis with 5 additional transplant patients)

Activity Summary 2022

Over 430,000 dialysis treatments were delivered by the HSE in 2022
The number of patients requiring treatment by dialysis or kidney transplantation increased to 5,077 adults and 71 children
- This represents a net increase of 156 patients or 3.1%
- The number of patients alive with a living transplant is 2,682
- The number of patients alive on dialysis is 2,466

Transplantation:

The National Kidney Transplant Programme reported 163 kidney transplants: 33 of these were provided by living donors
The number of patients alive with a kidney transplant increased by 26 patients

In-Centre Haemodialysis:

Over 330,000 in-centre haemodialysis treatments were delivered in 24 centres (12 parent hospital renal units, 2 HSE satellite units and 9 HSE contracted satellite units)
An additional 20,000 haemodialysis treatments were provided in 2022 compared to 2021

Home Dialysis Therapies:

100,000 home dialysis therapy treatment were delivered in Ireland in 2022
Over 45,000 hospital visits were avoided by home dialysis therapy

The HSE National Service Plan 2022 laid out an ambitious reform programme for Renal Medicine and allocated an additional €25 million in funding for renal services. This programme incorporated capacity configuration and governance to meet the growing demand across the country. The focus was on improving quality of life for renal services users.

Over the past 18 months, an additional 50 dialysis stations have been provided nationally. This will assist with the increased demand and can deliver up to 45,000 additional in-centre haemodialysis treatments.

The NRO secured funding and approval for 222 additional staff to support the growth in the end-stage kidney disease management program. An active recruitment programme to recruit advanced nurse practitioners, specialist nurses, social workers, dieticians, pharmacist, clinical psychologists and other support staff is currently underway nationally. Clinical governance has been enhanced with the appointment of additional consultant nephrologists. A palliative care support network for end-stage kidney disease patients is also being established.