NKF Campaigns Zone:
Current Renal Topics - 2003

The front page of the May 2003 issue of Kidney Life magazine has identified a number of areas that are of key concern to all renal patients (click here to view article). The questions listed below are designed to highlight those concerns. Please take every opportunity to ask these questions both publicly and privately of all those involved in the provision of renal treatment, be they providers of renal treatment or politicians.

• When will the Renal National Service Framework (NSF) be published?
• Will the NSF have real teeth to ensure that services are improved?
• Will the NSF end postcode provision of renal treatment?
• What will be in the new Transplant bill?
• When will the Transplant bill become law?
• Now that the Government has removed ring fenced money for renal services – will renal services suffer?
• Why is there such confusion over the new commissioning arrangements for Specialised Services?
• Who is going to teach the new commissioners about renal needs, it is a complicated area of the NHS and there is a lack of understanding by these newcomers?
• Today there are 34,000 patients with End Stage Renal failure – without treatment these patients die. Services are currently stretched to the limit. How will we cope as the numbers of ESRF patients rise to 68,000 in ten years time?
• Is the Government planning to double Dialysis facilities and Transplant operations to match  the growth in Patients?
• What can be done to increase the number of Kidney Transplants, and Organ Donors?

Updated with ‘Current Renal Topics - 2005’