A £2m dialysis unit has opened in Battersea’s Patmore Estate as part of a Government scheme to bring hospital services closer to patients.

Battersea MP Martin Linton said: “Dialysis patients have to travel to hospital three times a week and it will save them a lot of time to have this facility on their doorstep.

“This unit can provide dialysis for 100 patients a week and it has been deliberately located in the area that has the highest health needs in Wandsworth.”

The unit, which operates as a satellite unit of St George’s Hospital and is run by Fresenius Medical Care Renal Services, has 18 individual dialysis stations which come with adjustable electronic chairs and their own flat screen TV.

Dialysis patient, Alphonso Brown, said “I have moved to an area that I am familiar with and enjoy it here; it is local and very friendly. It is an improved facility and the dialysis itself is excellent.”

A St George’s Hospital spokesman said: “This facility is a shining example of how we can make healthcare services more accessible to our patients by bringing care into the community and closer to peoples’ homes