Assure Dialysis Services is a venture providing dialysis care for the patients of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) and we therefore have an extensive partnership with University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, which manages QEHB.

Assure Dialysis Services Board

• David Burbridge, Company Secretary
• Lynn Willetts, Managing Director
• Stephen Washbourne, Finance Director
• Julie Tracey, Nursing Director
• David Rosser, Non-Exec Director

Nurse Managers

• Jenny Fryatt, Lead Nurse
• Orlino Rabino, Deputy Lead Nurse
• Shienna Pineda, Deputy Lead Nurse

Doctors serving Smethwick Dialysis Centre

• Dr Clara Day (Consultant)
• Dr Paul Cockwell (Consultant)
• Dr Yogita Aggarwal (Specialist Registrar)

Our vision

To deliver the best in dialysis care.

Our values

Honesty

We are transparent in all that we do, communicating openly and honestly and involving patients and staff in decision making. We have clear, ethical processes to support our delivery of care and we empower staff and patients to question us.

Responsibility

We take responsibility as individuals and as an organisation to do our best. We challenge poor performance, encourage colleagues to go the ‘extra mile’ and welcome those eager to deliver the highest standards.

Innovation

We aim to deliver excellence in patient care through continually trying to improve clinical practice. We invest in research, technology, training and support. We encourage creativity and as a team, continually challenge ourselves to find better ways of working.

Respect

We demonstrate respect through delivering high quality, dignified care to our patients and their relatives. We respect their views and needs regardless of their background, beliefs, age, gender, ability or sexuality and we act appropriately to foster good relationships. We are courteous, knowledgeable and take pride in caring for others.

Collaboration

We work in partnership with patients and carers, other healthcare providers, social care services, community-based support groups and charities to provide safe, appropriate care. We work together to train and support patients and their carers, to enable them to take an active role in their treatment. We educate those directly involved in the patient’s care pathway to ensure the patient receives the best dialysis care.

Excellent care is a two-way relationship built upon a foundation of trust between healthcare professionals and their patients. The Assure Promise is an agreement between the patient and us that sets out the ways in which we will contribute to delivering the best dialysis care.

Appropriate and personalised care

• We will: Assign you a Named Nurse who will be responsible for your care
• We will: Review your care on a monthly basis with you and other members of the renal team and will work together to make any changes to your treatment plan

Safe and comfortable

• We will: Ensure you are cared for in a clean, safe dialysis centre with well maintained equipment and facilities
• We ask you to: Respect the dialysis centre by helping to keep the environment clean and tidy, follow infection control protocol and to tell us if you are concerned about your surroundings

Scheduled dialysis treatment

• We will: Give you a regular dialysis time, enabling you to make plans and arrangements
• We will: Make every effort to start your dialysis promptly. We ask you to: tell us in advance if you have plans to go on holiday or if you have issues with your dialysis slot

Understanding

• We will: Treat you as an individual with dignity and respect. We will get to know you and your relatives and understand what matters to you
• We ask: That you behave with respect towards staff and other patients and not use offensive or abusive language

Responsive care

• We will: Listen to your feedback, questions and concerns and react quickly to deal with any issues
• We ask you to: Let us know if require more information and tell us if you are unhappy about your care so we can have the opportunity to put it right

Expertise

• We will: Ensure you have access to a range of experts who can provide support in aspects of your health and wellbeing such as doctors, nurses, dietitians and social care advisors
• We will: Give you and your relatives the opportunity to be involved in your care as you would like to
• We ask: That you let us know if you need help and that you help yourself by working with us to ensure you receive safe and effective care

Smethwick Dialysis Centre

Smethwick Dialysis Centre (SDC) is a satellite dialysis unit of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. It functions like all other satellite units and a QEHB consultant manages patient care alongside the staff at Smethwick Dialysis Centre.

For further details on the SDC, please see the information for patients section.

• Information for patients