Central and Northern Adelaide Renal and Transplantation Services (CNARTS)

The Central and Northern Renal and Transplantation Service (CNARTS) is one of Australia's largest renal units, providing specialist nephrology, dialysis treatment and transplant services.

CNARTS provides medical, nursing and allied health expertise for:

• all stages of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
• home and unit based dialysis
• kidney, pancreas and islet transplant
• conservative care
• young adult transition care
• obstetric nephrology care
• surgical management of renal patients.

Services provided at CNARTS include:

• Management of all kidney conditions and chronic kidney disease (CKD)
• Inpatient and outpatient consultant-led service (medical and surgical)
• Peritoneal and haemodialysis - in hospital, self-managed, in home and via outreach ‘satellite’ units across South Australia (SA)
• Clinical trials
• Dialysis Start Program
• Dialysis access - medical and surgical
• Kidney, pancreas and islet cell transplantation — covering patients in both South Australia and Northern Territory
• Youth transition clinics
• Obstetric Nephrology Service – pre-pregnancy planning for men and women, antenatal care and post-partum follow up
• Kidney Care Team – CKD and renal treatment options education and support
• Renal nurse practitioners - home therapies, haemodialysis and supportive care
• Allied Health renal specialists: dietetics, social work, pharmacy, psychology, Aboriginal health practitioner
• Renal nurse specialist consultation and service coordination for: vascular access, transplantation, complex care needs
• 24/7 onsite and on-call medical staff
• Regional area and telemedicine consults.

We do not provide services related to urinary tract obstruction, assessment of renal tumours, prostatic and other urological issues and paediatric nephrology.

Level 7F, Royal Adelaide Hospital.

These CNARTS services are available at the Royal Adelaide Hospital:

• outpatient clinics
• acute inpatient dialysis
• outpatient dialysis
• peritoneal/home dialysis
• day centre renal biopsy/infusions.

We also have clinics in metropolitan Adelaide and regional locations, and offer specialised Aboriginal health services.

You need a referral from a GP or medical practitioner to access this service.

Once your referral has been received it will be triaged according to clinical urgency.

If your referral is accepted, you will either:

• receive a letter, phone call or text message confirming your appointment time, date and location
• receive a letter confirming you have been waitlisted for an appointment.

If the referral is declined, your GP or referring medical practitioner will be notified.

Starting and undergoing dialysis can be an overwhelming experience for many patients and their loved ones.

We've compiled information and resources to help you with managing your kidney condition, starting dialysis, where to get help if you need it and much more.

Kidney Health Australia provides patients with valuable resources and support relating to kidney health, dialysis and kidney disease.

The CNARTS Dialysis New Start Program is an intensive multidisciplinary service supporting patients and their care providers, during the medically and socially challenging period of starting life-saving dialysis.

Patients are under the oversight of the program for the period of starting and stabilising on dialysis, which is usually between 4 and 6 weeks.

Patients are supported by a care team of specialised nurse practitioners, dialysis nurses, nephrologists, dieticians and pharmacists, with additional support from occupational therapy, social work and psychology services if needed.

The Dialysis New Start Program co-ordinates these services, links in with primary care, and ensures that all patients have access to high quality, safe and patient centred care.

Note: the Dialysis New Start program is only available for patients starting their dialysis treatments at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

For queries about the Dialysis New Start Program contact the Renal Nurse Practitioner.

The preparing for dialysis toolkit provides a range of fact sheets, giving you general information on starting dialysis, support information plus guides on how to manage your medications, appointments and your kidney health.

The information in this toolkit is designed to be a general resource.

Ensure you discuss any specific needs and ask your kidney team and supporting health professionals about any concerns or queries you might have.

We accept GP and specialist referrals to this service.

eReferrals, fax or email are all accepted.

Use the Clinical Prioritisation Criteria (CPC) as a referral guide. 

To ensure timely triage, include all demographic and clinical details. 

The service triages referrals according to clinical urgency. 

CNARTS covers central and northern regions of SA and western NSW, therefore multiple hospitals are available to send referrals, all with various services. 

• Country and outer metropolitan clinics are generally for review patients only, owing to capacity
• Initial appointments are usually conducted in RAH, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hampstead Renal Dialysis Unit
• Telehealth is available for some consultations.

Find all locations, services and and referral contact information for CNARTS services below.

Referrals, acute dialysis service

Provides acute inpatient dialysis services. If your patient is on dialysis or in likely need of dialysis, phone ahead and talk to the registrar or on-call Consultant.

Referrals, acute dialysis service

Provides acute inpatient dialysis services. If your patient is on dialysis or in likely need of dialysis, phone ahead and talk to the registrar or on-call Consultant.

Referrals only and inpatient dialysis.

Referrals only.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients undergoing renal dialysis and accessing services through CNARTS, are also able to access extra services in place to help, from diagnosis through to starting and accessing treatment. 

The Renal Aboriginal Health Practitioner is available to help with any specific concerns, issues or services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and their families. 

Get in touch with our team about how they can assist patient and families living with kidney disease and download our toolkit for more 

The RSS operates a mobile dialysis unit for kidney dialysis patients wanting to visit their home communities in the most remote areas of South Australia.

The 'truck' has 3 dialysis chairs and provides short-term dialysis to a number of communities including:

• the APY Lands (Amata, Pukatja, Fregon)
• Marla
• Coober Pedy
• Yalata.

CNARTS oversees kidney, pancreas and islet transplantation services for patients across SA, NT and in rural and remote areas.

For support and information about kidney, pancreas or islet transplants contact the transplantation nurse team. 

Donating a kidney, for a family member, friend or another loved one, is a big decision.

There are a variety of resources available to help you with this life-changing action.

Be informed, get support and find out what it means to be a living donor.