Support for dialysis patients

We know how important it is for you to have a consistent supply of water. We’ll do everything we can to make sure that happens. Plus, you'll get the concession you’re entitled to.

But, obviously, we need to be told about your dialysis machine.

A dialysis machine can also be known as a Haemodialysis Machine or Artificial Kidney. No matter what it is called, it always uses a large volume of water. An interruption to your water supply can have serious health impacts on haemodialysis customers, so we take steps to avoid interrupting supply without notification.

Maintaining supply to the machine

If you’ve had a haemodialysis machine installed in your home, normally your hospital will notify us so we can update our records. But, to be safe, it is best that you contact us and make sure we know about your machine.

Once we have been informed, and once the machine is installed, it is noted on your account and your water meter is painted blue and a dialysis tag is attached. If we need to switch off the water supply to your property, our staff can easily identify that a dialysis machine is installed.

• If we need to switch off the water supply for planned maintenance, our staff will be able to identify that you have a dialysis machine. We’ll provide you with one week's notice that we are turning water off. And we can provide an alternative supply of water, if necessary.
• If we need to interrupt the water supply in an emergency such as when there is a burst water main, our staff will knock on your door to check if the machine is in use. We’ll either wait for a time that’s convenient to you, or we’ll provide an alternative water supply.

Concession for water use

If you have a haemodialysis dialysis machine installed, you may be eligible for a concession on your account of 42 kilolitres per quarter. This is in addition to any other relevant concessions.

What you need to do

If you are a haemodialysis patient, we need to receive a Life Support Concession or Notification of Installation of Life Support machine to update your record in our system. This notification is generally provided by your hospital if it’s in our area. We do not provide this service for peritoneal dialysis or oxygen concentrators. 

If you received a concession or notification and it’s not recorded on your Yarra Valley Water account, we need to receive an application from you before we can update our records.

You can get an application form from the Department of Human Services website.

Please complete the application form and mail it to us at 25-35 Lucknow Street, Mitcham VIC 3132 or email [email protected].