The RMH Kidney Care service is a comprehensive Australian nephrology service providing treatment and support in all aspects of care for people with kidney disease, including people on dialysis and after kidney transplantation.
Key points
- The RMH Kidney Care service is a comprehensive Australian nephrology service
- We provide treatment and support in all aspects of care for acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, dialysis and kidney transplantation
- We also support other units managing people who have diseases that may cause acute and chronic kidney problems
The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) Kidney Care Service provides care for people with chronic kidney disease through every stage of their treatment.
We operate as a hub and spoke model, with nephrology services delivered at the RMH Parkville as well as satellite locations in both metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.
The scope of services offered by the RMH Kidney Care Service is designed to support a continuum of care for people with chronic kidney disease.
Treatment options include home haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, metropolitan satellite dialysis, kidney transplantation and supportive care.
Consistent with a community-based care philosophy and focus on quality of life, we:
- Encourage home therapies
- Have satellite centres strategically placed to offer dialysis to patients close to their homes
- Provide in-centre dialysis for those that require increased medical supervision or hospital-based interventions
We embrace clinical excellence and innovation in the care of people with kidney disease. We have a patient-focused approach and use evidence-based practices.
Our service includes:
- 28-bed inpatient ward on 6 South West
- 15 station acute haemodialysis unit on 6 West, offering haemodialysis and plasma exchange treatments
- Home training service based at the RMH Royal Park with home dialysis link nurses based in Ballarat, Wodonga and Mildura
- Two 15 station metropolitan satellite haemodialysis units at Essendon Fields and Coburg
- A new 15 station satellite unit at 635 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne will open in mid 2023
- 22 affiliated rural and regional haemodialysis units
- Outreach clinics at Robinvale, Mildura, Hamilton, Seymour, Deniliquin, Wangaratta and Wodonga
- Second-largest kidney transplantation service in Australia, providing transplant services to Western and Northern Health, all of Tasmania, and difficult Victorian cases referred from other units
- Chronic kidney diseaseservice covering a large area of Victoria
- Comprehensive kidney supportive care service for people opting for no kidney replacement therapy or requiring individual symptom management
- Comprehensive dialysis technical services team servicing dialysis and water treatment equipment throughout Victoria
- Acute kidney injury service supporting other units across the RMH to detect and treat acute kidney injury
The RMH is also host of the Australian and New Zealand Paired Kidney Exchange (ANZKX) Program.
We have internationally recognised experts in chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injury, kidney transplantation, dialysis therapies including haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, nephrology surgery, metabolic and inherited kidney diseases, mineral and bone disorders in kidney disease, and diabetic kidney disease.
We have physicians with research or clinical expertise in all of the following fields:
- Acute kidney injury (AKI)
- Autoimmune kidney disease
- Calciphylaxis
- Cardiovascular complications of kidney disease
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD)
- Chronic kidney disease - mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD)
- Diabetic kidney disease
- Fabry disease
- Glomerulonephritis
- Haemodialysis
- Haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS)
- Inherited kidney disease
- Kidney stones
- Lupus nephritis
- Membranous nephropathy
- Metabolic kidney disease
- Myeloma kidney
- Obstetric nephrology
- Peritoneal dialysis
- Polycystic kidney disease
- Kidney transplantation and associated complications
- Tuberous sclerosis
- Dialysis vascular access complications
- Vasculitis
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication of acute illness and affects a significant number of people admitted to the RMH. We have set up an AKI project to identify early and educate patients about this condition.
Your medical history, treatment and any information provided to the hospital are treated with the utmost confidentially. We cannot use or pass on your information about you to anyone unless you agree, or unless it is required by law.
Limited information on dialysis and transplant patients is provided to the ANZDATA registry and the Victorian Department of Health for the purpose of monitoring public health. The Department of Health may use such de-identified information for example to better plan appropriate health care delivery and for quality assurance purposes.
This circular on privacy information is specific to the Royal Melbourne Hospital Nephrology / Kidney Care Services and should be read in conjunction with the RMH Health Privacy Policy.
Find out more about the ANZDATA registry.
Our Kidney Care wards care for people with kidney disease, kidney transplants and acute and chronic dialysis and plasma exchange treatments.
Find out more