NKF Campaigns Zone:
All Party Parliamentary Kidney Group

Realising that if the NKF were to be effective in persuading Government to improve treatment provision for renal patients they would need those a persistent voice within Parliament, they decided to form an All Party Parliamentary Kidney Group within the House of Commons.

An Early Day motion was tabled making the case for such a group. The Kidney Patient Associations (KPAs) then systematically set about visiting local M.P.s requesting that they sign the motion. One Hundred and eight M.P.s duly signed, easily sufficient for the purpose.

On 15th July 1999 the inaugural meeting was held within the House, attended by many leading figures. Dr Evan Harris M.P. was elected the group’s very first Chairman.

The group identified its objectives as follows:-

“To improve understanding in Parliament of Kidney disease and transplant medicine, to promote improvements in health and care services that are available and to improve the health of people with renal failure.”

The Group meets three times a year to discuss the latest renal issues and resolve any campaigning need. Frequently this results in further questions being tabled on the floor of the House for Ministers to answer.

The group is keen to welcome Lords and further members of Parliament to its membership.

The National Kidney Federation continues to provide the servicing of this group and to advise the group on issues in need of discussion or action. Frequently the NKF arranges for speakers to attend group meetings.

Full minutes of All Party Parliamentary Kidney Group (APPKG)are placed on this website but are password protected and available only to members of the APPKG. The workings of the group are reported to NKF members, as appropriate, via Kidney Life magazine. Some issues being dealt with by the group are displayed in this area of the NKF website.