The NKF campaign to increase home dialysis

The NKF campaign to increase home dialysis in the context of Covid-19 is going well and we will be following up on the recommendations published in our report ‘Increasing home dialysis in the context of Covid-19 in the UK’ published in January 2021. The campaign is being coordinated by a group of executive members and NKF staff, chaired by Brian Child. A progress report will be published early in 2022.

KPA chairpersons

Our aim is for all adult renal units in the UK to provide us with a plan that will result in a minimum prevalence rate of 20% home dialysis provision by 2024. We have requested KPA chairpersons raise this matter locally (no later than autumn 2021) with their director of renal services. The NKF has also received updates on progress from a small number of KPAs.

New home dialysis peer support service

A new home dialysis national peer support service is set to launch in September 2021 following the training of a group of home dialysis patients and carers as peer supporters. We urge clinicians to refer patients to this national service, and we encourage patients thinking about moving to home dialysis to self-refer. The peer support service will be run by the NKF Helpline, you can access information by calling 0800 169 09 36. We are happy to work with peer support services that are already running in some areas of the country, please get in touch to see how we can work together.

New resources

A new leaflet on home dialysis in the context of Covid-19 will be available in September 2021 – it is a welcome addition to our patient information library and can be found on the NKF website in our Home Dialysis Resource Centre: https://www.kidney.org.uk/Pages/Category/ home-dialysis A series of new home dialysis patient/carer videos, highlighting their experience during Covid-19, will be available in late autumn 2021.

Patient survey

In partnership with the University of Hertfordshire, we will survey dialysis patients in autumn 2021, to find out more about the barriers to home dialysis and their experience of Covid-19.

We are happy to work with peer support services that are already running in some areas of the country, please get in touch to see how we can work together.

Policy areas

We are actively involved in the recently launched Renal Services Transformation Programme. One of the workstreams is on dialysis and through this work, we will highlight our concerns about home dialysis. The NKF has been invited to speak at several national conferences, including the UK Kidney Week in October 2021, to talk about home dialysis. We have also written to the Health Ministers of the four devolved nations requesting their response to our report.

New data

We are working with the UK Renal Registry and will publish the latest data on home dialysis provision by centre. The data will include changes in provision over time as well as how provision for BAME patients compares with other patients.

Conclusion

Our campaign to increase home dialysis in the UK is possibly the most extensive campaign the NKF has led. Covid-19 has shown that patients who dialysed at home were able to protect themselves better from infection and death compared to patients who dialysed in a hospital or unit. Increasing dialysis at home for more patients is supported by the NHS, but progress to date has been limited and we need everyone’s support with this campaign. If you can help, please contact us.

Covid-19 has shown that patients who dialysed at home were able to protect themselves better from infection and death compared to patients who dialysed in a hospital or unit.