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Nephrology · UK

Peritoneal dialysis - kidney treatment, at home, done properly.

Dialysis through the lining of your own abdomen - by hand during the day (CAPD) or by a machine while you sleep (APD). A consultant nephrologist, a properly placed catheter, real training, and a 24-hour team behind you.

See indicative pricing
A radiographer guides a patient onto the bed of an advanced 3 Tesla MRI scanner in a London imaging suite

Indicative pricing

What private peritoneal dialysis costs in the UK.

Indicative ranges across our partner renal units.

In short

£2,500–£6,500, ongoing PD from £2,000 a month.

Item Indicative range
Tenckhoff catheter insertion (laparoscopic) £3,500–£6,500
Tenckhoff catheter insertion (open or percutaneous) £2,500–£5,000
PD training programme (3–5 days, one-to-one) £1,500–£3,500
CAPD consumables and fluids £2,000–£3,500 / month
APD (overnight cycler) programme £2,500–£4,500 / month
Nephrology consultation £250–£450
Adequacy and membrane testing (PET, Kt/V) £300–£700

Important context: dialysis for established kidney failure is fully funded by the NHS, and most UK patients rightly use NHS home-therapy programmes. Private PD is chosen mainly by international patients, for a faster work-up, or for continuity with a chosen nephrologist - and long-term costs are dominated by the monthly fluids, not the catheter.

The problem

The right modality, a planned start, and training that actually sticks.

Kidney failure care quietly under-delivers in three places - modality chosen for the unit’s convenience, dialysis started in a crash, training rushed. We fix all three before anything is booked.

  • Choose the modality for your life

    PD, haemodialysis, transplant - the right answer depends on your heart, your home and your work, not on which chair is free.

  • Plan the start, never crash into it

    A catheter placed weeks before it is needed beats an emergency neck line every time. Timing is the quiet determinant of how well dialysis goes.

  • Train until it is boring

    Peritonitis follows shortcuts. One-to-one training with competence sign-off - and refreshers - is what keeps home dialysis safe for years.

When it helps

When peritoneal dialysis is the right step.

The situations we see most, plus the one red flag every PD patient must know by heart.

  • Kidney failure approaching dialysis

    An eGFR falling towards 10 with symptoms - the point where a planned start to dialysis beats an emergency one.

  • A working life to protect

    PD is done at home, daily or overnight - no thrice-weekly hospital visits. For many working people it is the modality that fits.

  • Wanting to dialyse overnight

    APD runs while you sleep - a cycler does the exchanges and your days stay yours.

  • Poor veins or a failing fistula

    When haemodialysis access is difficult or exhausted, the peritoneal membrane offers a different route entirely.

  • Heart disease that tolerates HD poorly

    PD removes fluid gently and continuously - often kinder to a fragile heart than the swings of haemodialysis.

  • Bridging to a kidney transplant

    PD keeps you well and independent while you wait on the transplant list - and does not burn vascular access you may need later.

  • Preserving remaining kidney function

    Residual urine output tends to survive longer on PD than on haemodialysis - and it matters for wellbeing and outcomes.

  • Red flag: cloudy bag with abdominal pain

    On PD, a cloudy drained bag with tummy pain or fever means peritonitis - ring the renal unit the same hour, do not wait for a routine appointment.

Treatment options

Regime and catheter both shaped around your life.

What each option involves - manual exchanges or the overnight machine, how the catheter goes in, and the alternatives that stay on the table.

  • CAPD - manual exchanges

    Continuous ambulatory PD: four bag exchanges spread through the day, each taking 30–40 minutes. No machine, minimal kit, complete portability.

  • APD - the overnight cycler

    Automated PD: a bedside machine runs the exchanges over 8–10 hours while you sleep. The commonest choice for people who work.

  • Assisted PD

    A trained carer or visiting nurse manages the exchanges - keeps home dialysis possible for people who cannot do it alone.

  • Laparoscopic catheter insertion

    Keyhole placement of the Tenckhoff catheter under vision - preferred after previous surgery, and allows adhesions to be dealt with.

  • Open or percutaneous insertion

    A small incision or a guided needle technique under local anaesthetic - quick, and well suited to straightforward abdomens.

  • Urgent-start PD

    Where dialysis cannot wait, low-volume exchanges can begin within days of catheter insertion with the patient lying flat.

  • Icodextrin and tailored fluids

    Different dialysate strengths and long-dwell solutions tuned to your membrane - how fluid removal is personalised.

  • Haemodialysis and transplant

    The alternatives, always on the table. PD is a stage in a kidney journey, not a destination - many patients move between modalities over the years.

Safety and daily life

What life on PD is really like - honestly.

Peritoneal dialysis is safe, effective and liberating for the right patient. The things worth planning are technique, infection prevention and the long game.

  • A daily therapy, done by you

    PD is a home treatment - exchanges every day (CAPD) or every night (APD), 365 days a year. Training makes it routine, but honesty about the commitment matters.

  • Peritonitis is the risk that matters

    Infection of the peritoneal cavity occurs roughly once every 2–4 patient-years on modern regimes. Cloudy fluid plus pain means same-hour contact with the unit; most episodes respond to antibiotics in the bags.

  • Exit-site and tunnel infections

    Redness or discharge where the catheter leaves the skin. Daily cleaning and early treatment stop most from tracking deeper.

  • Catheter problems

    Slow drainage, a migrated tip, kinks or omental wrapping - usually fixable by laxatives, repositioning or a laparoscopic revision.

  • Hernias and leaks

    The fluid raises pressure in the abdomen - hernias and, occasionally, leaks around the catheter or into the chest can develop and may need repair.

  • Membrane change over time

    After years of PD the peritoneal membrane can transport differently, making fluid removal harder - one reason many patients eventually switch to haemodialysis or, better, receive a transplant.

  • Glucose load and weight

    Most PD fluids are glucose-based - some sugar is absorbed each dwell. Diet review and icodextrin long dwells help manage weight and diabetes control.

  • Body image and daily logistics

    A permanent abdominal catheter, boxes of fluid at home and a monthly delivery - practical realities we make sure you have seen before you commit.

  • Red flags on PD

    Cloudy effluent, fever, severe abdominal pain, a catheter that will not drain, or sudden breathlessness need the renal unit the same day - not a routine call.

Reading your renal letter

Your clinic letter in four parts. Read the last one first.

Whether you are on CAPD or the overnight cycler, the letter the nephrologist sends after each review keeps to the same shape.

A UK consultant nephrologist reviewing a patient’s dialysis records

A quiet reminder

Renal language is precise and can read coldly - we translate it for you.

If you would like us to talk you through the adequacy numbers and the prescription before your review, just ask.

  1. 01 Header

    Modality, catheter and start date

    Whether you are on CAPD or APD, when and how the Tenckhoff catheter went in, and when full-volume exchanges began.

  2. 02 Technique

    Prescription

    Your regime - number of exchanges or cycler settings, dwell volumes, fluid strengths and any icodextrin long dwell - the recipe your kidneys no longer provide.

  3. 03 Findings

    Adequacy and membrane results

    Kt/V and creatinine clearance (is the dose of dialysis enough), the PET result (how your membrane transports), and residual kidney function.

  4. 04 Impression

    Plan, transplant status, review dates

    Read this first: any prescription changes, your transplant listing status, and when bloods, adequacy tests and clinic reviews are next due.

Recognised by major UK insurers

BupaAXA HealthVitalityAvivaWPACignaHealixBupaAXA HealthVitalityAvivaWPACignaHealixBupaAXA HealthVitalityAvivaWPACignaHealix

Most UK policies cover the diagnostic work-up and catheter insertion but treat long-term dialysis as a chronic condition with limited cover - the NHS funds it fully.

Frequently asked

Everything we get asked about peritoneal dialysis.

Quick answers on how it works, peritonitis, cost, travel and daily life.

  • What is peritoneal dialysis and how does it work?

    Peritoneal dialysis uses the lining of your own abdomen - the peritoneum - as a filter. Dialysis fluid is run into the abdominal cavity through a soft permanent catheter; waste products and excess water pass from your blood into the fluid across the membrane, and the fluid is then drained out and replaced. Done daily by hand (CAPD) or overnight by a machine (APD), it replaces much of the kidneys’ cleaning work.

  • Is peritoneal dialysis as good as haemodialysis?

    For suitable patients, survival on PD and haemodialysis is broadly comparable in the first years of dialysis, and PD tends to preserve remaining kidney function longer while offering far more independence. The right modality is personal: it depends on your heart, your abdomen, your home, your work and your preferences - which is exactly the conversation a good nephrologist has with you.

  • What does the catheter insertion involve?

    A Tenckhoff catheter - a soft silicone tube - is placed through the abdominal wall so its tip sits in the pelvis, done laparoscopically or through a small incision, usually as a day-case taking 30–60 minutes. It then heals for around two weeks before full exchanges start, so insertion is ideally planned well before dialysis becomes urgent.

  • What is peritonitis and how worried should I be?

    Peritonitis is infection of the peritoneal cavity - the most important complication of PD, occurring roughly once every two to four patient-years with good technique. The warning sign is a cloudy drained bag, usually with abdominal pain. Contact your renal unit the same hour; most episodes are treated successfully with antibiotics added to the dialysis bags. Meticulous hand hygiene and exit-site care are what keep episodes rare.

  • How much does private peritoneal dialysis cost in the UK?

    Catheter insertion runs £2,500–£6,500 depending on technique, structured training £1,500–£3,500, and ongoing therapy roughly £2,000–£3,500 a month for CAPD or £2,500–£4,500 a month for APD including fluids and consumables. Context matters: in the UK, dialysis for kidney failure is fully funded by the NHS, and most people use NHS programmes - private PD is chosen mainly by international patients, for speed of work-up, or for continuity with a chosen consultant. We lay both routes out honestly.

  • Can I travel, work and exercise on PD?

    Yes, with planning. CAPD travels anywhere the boxes can be delivered - suppliers ship fluid worldwide - and APD cyclers are portable. Most people work full time on APD since dialysis happens overnight. Swimming is possible in chlorinated pools or the sea with a dressing regime; baths are out. Heavy lifting needs care because of hernia risk.

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