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Press Release issued by the NKF on 14 February 2005

UK CHARITY PLANS MAJOR EXPANSION TO COPE WITH INCREASE IN PATIENT NUMBERS

Identified Kidney patient numbers to increase 60 fold

The National Kidney Federation (NKF) who currently represent the 40,000 UK patients suffering End Stage Renal Failure (ESRF) are to expand their activities to include the 2 million 500 thousand Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients who are now to be identified and treated as a result of the publication of the Government document “The National Service Framework for Renal Services- Part Two” – (NSF part 2) - published February 2005, ref 265529.

Tim Statham, Chief Executive of the Patient run charity said:-

“For 26 years we have provided services for, and represented, the growing number of patients whose kidneys fail, leaving them reliant on Dialysis or Transplantation in order to stay alive, but we have always argued that it would be far better for the patients themselves and the Health Service, to identify patients with early kidney disease and then manage their condition so that their kidneys do not fail.  Until this month no commitment had been made by Government to do this, and as the patients themselves were unlikely to know they had kidney disease we in the NKF had no way of identifying and supporting these people.

The publication of NSF part 2 changes all this. General Practitioners (GPs) already know the patients who may be at risk of CKD, they are patients already identified as having high blood pressure, Diabetes, Anaemia or who are obese. The NSF part 2 will now require GPs to test the patients Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) and determine whether the patient suffers CKD and if so determine the stage (stages 1 – 5) of CKD the patient has, if any. The next steps will then be taken by the patient and the GP to try and prevent the GFR rate deteriorating further. This is not new science, but the difference in survival rates and the quality of life for this two and a half million people will be dramatic. This is the most exciting and beneficial development in renal medicine in the history of the NKF.

A further benefit is that where the deterioration of renal function cannot be halted, a planned progression into dialysis can be achieved and experience shows that patients approaching dialysis in a managed fashion have far better outcomes than those who “crash land” into dialysis unaware of their condition.

For the NKF this news means a major change to our daily working. We have been used to working with hospitals, renal units, nephrologists and transplant surgeons – now we must provide support and renal information to the primary care sector, liaising directly with GPs at Doctor/local surgery level. We will have literally millions more patients seeking advice and support for their renal condition. We welcome this, but it will mean that our National Helpline, Patient information services and website must undergo change and expansion.

Currently the NKF represents approximately 20,000 patients on dialysis and a further 20,000 patients living with a Transplant, but those numbers are growing at around 8% each year and many die whilst on the Transplant waiting list. We want the growth in numbers halted - and this change is the best chance we have to achieve this.”

END

For further information contact:-

Tim Statham

Chief Executive - NKF
and Press Spokesman

T: 01455 619128

M: 07976 618251

E: tim.statham@kidney.org.uk

Or

National Kidney Federation
The Point, Coach Road, Shireoaks, Worksop, Notts S81 8BW

T: (01909) 544999

E: nkf@kidney.org.uk

Charity Number 1106735

Information about the NKF

The NKF is the only UK charity run BY Kidney patients FOR kidney patients. Its aim is to promote, throughout the United Kingdom, the welfare of persons suffering from Kidney Disease or Renal failure and those relatives and friends who care for them.

Ref

The National Service Framework Part 2 can be found on the Department of Health website with a forward by John Reid MP – Secretary of State for Health

The document numbered 265529 can also be obtained in hard copy from DH Publications Order line:

T: 08701 555 455

Errata

The D of H refers you to page 4 paragraph 8 where the prevalence rate is incorrectly printed as 554. The correct figure is 5,554 pmp.