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What Is Patient Support?
Living with kidney disease is hard enough. Hospital visits, treatment schedules, fatigue, and the emotional strain can touch every part of life. On top of that, many families face a sudden drop in income and a rise in everyday costs – travel to appointments, special diets, higher utility bills, and time off work.
Our Patient Support service is here to help you cope with the day‑to‑day reality of kidney disease. Whether you are newly diagnosed, on dialysis, waiting for a transplant or supporting a loved one, you don’t have to manage it all on your own.
How to access this service
Who this service is for?
Adults living with kidney disease
Kidney transplant recipients
Family members, partners and carers
How this service can help you
Guidance through grants and entitlements
Help with day-to-day essentials
Support with forms and applications where possible
How to access this service
You can contact us yourself, or ask a family member, carer or hospital staff member to get in touch on your behalf.
Patient Support Team
Edina Csibi
Patient Support Assistant
HSE Living Donor Reimbursement Policy
This policy has been adopted to address the issue of the costs incurred by donors participating in the Living Donor Programme in Ireland during the pre-operative and post-operative period. The implementation of this policy is intended to minimise financial disincentives for potential living donors, with a view to ensuring the pool of living kidney donors continues to expand.*
(* taken verbatim from the Department of Health)
Claiming Health Expenses
The Med 1 Form is no longer available. Health expenses are claimed through your tax return form. You can claim relief on health expenses after the year has ended, and must have receipts to accompany your claim.
Kidney patients can claim relief, in addition to normal health expenses, for costs related to travelling for dialysis or the utilities required for home dialysis machines.
Patient Practical Information
SEAI Medically Vulnerable Solar PV System
The SEAI is funding the installation of a 2kWp solar PV system on homes, that are suitable, for those people listed on the ESB Priority Services Register.
Patient Support
Frequently Asked Questions
Below you’ll find answers to some of the questions we’re most often asked. If your question isn’t covered here, please don’t hesitate to get in touch – we’re always happy to talk things through with you.
The service is available to people living with kidney disease at any stage – pre‑dialysis, on dialysis, or post‑transplant – as well as their family members and carers.
No. Our patient support is provided free of charge. Some specific schemes or grants may have eligibility criteria, but there is no fee to speak with us or seek guidance.
We can help with a wide range of concerns, including:
- Employment, education, and financial worries.
- Social welfare and practical supports.
- Guidance through grants and entitlements.
If we can’t directly provide what you need, we will do our best to signpost you to the right service.
You can get in touch by phone or email using the contact details on this page, or ask a staff member in your renal unit to pass on your details to us. We will respond as soon as we can.
Yes. We welcome contact from spouses, partners, parents, children and other carers. Kidney disease affects the whole family, and support is available for you too.
Yes. Anything you share with us is treated in confidence and handled in line with data protection and privacy guidelines. If we ever need to share information with another professional to help you, we will discuss this with you first where possible.
Yes. We support kidney patients and families across Ireland.
We are not an emergency service. If you are feeling very unwell or in immediate danger, please contact your GP, renal unit, out‑of‑hours doctor, or emergency services (999/112). For emotional crisis, you may also contact services such as Samaritans on 116 123. We are here to support you alongside these services, but not to replace them.