Ifyouareanewreader,welcome!OurmonthlyIn Touche-newsletterisyourgotosourceforthelatest updatesfromtheNationalKidneyFederation
Whetheryou’reapatient,familymembera healthcareprofessionalorasupporter,this newsletterisdesignedtokeepyouinformedand connected
Eachmonth,wesharethelatestupdatesintherenal world,highlightupcomingeventsandcampaigns andprovideupdatesontheworkwe’redoingto supportkidneypatientsacrosstheUK.
You’llalsofindopportunitiestogetinvolved, whetherthroughfundraisingorsimplytohelpraise awareness
Thankyouforsupportingourcharity,wehopeyou enjoythisissue! Allthebest, TheNationalKidneyFederation
FOOTCAREWITHCKDWEBINAR ForournextwebinarwewillbejoinedbyJoanneCasey(Podiatrist,SeniorResearch Assistant)andDr.Ljubisa(Nurse,SeniorLecturer)todiscusstheimportanceofmaintaining goodfoothealthforindividualslivingwithkidneydisease.
Thewebinarwillcovertopicssuchasproperfoothygiene,careandmanagementandso muchmore.
NICE(NationalInstituteforHealthandClinicalExcellence)arecurrentlyreviewingtheclinical andcosteffectivenessofthedrugsetmelanotide,whichtheyareappraisingfortreatmentfor acquiredhypothalamicobesityinpeopleaged4yearsandover.
Tosupportthereview,theNationalKidneyFederationisgatheringexperiencesfromthose affectedbyhypothalamicobesity.
Ifyou’dliketotalkaboutyourexperiencewithhypothalamicobesity,pleaseemail nkf@kidney.org.ukbyFriday8 May. th
AndreaBrown,NKFChiefExecutive,PeteRevell, NKFHeadofMarketingandFundraising,Lucy Vasiliou,NKFPolicyandPublicAffairsManager andChrisTalbot,NKFMembership DevelopmentLead,visitedHarrogatelast week,forUKKidneyWeek
Forthreedays,theNKFwereonhandto showcaseallofourinformationleaflets availabletorenalhealthcareprofessionals.
Itwasagreatweekmeetingfamiliarandnewfacesinthe renalworldandexploringthemanyotherareasofthe conference,includingthespeakersessionsandpresentations.
WelookforwardtoUKKidneyWeeknextyearinNewport!
NKFATTENDSNORTHNOTTSHEALTH& WELLBEINGEVENT NKFHelplineAdvisor,Stephen,attendedtheNorthNottsHealth &WellbeingEventatTheBridge-SkillsHub inWorksop, Nottinghamshireon25February.
StephenwasonhandtoshareinformationabouttheNational KidneyFederationandthewiderangeofsupportweprovide forpeopleaffectedbykidneydisease.
Wealsohadarangeofleafletswithhelpfulkidney informationforattendeestotakeaway,coveringkeytopics suchaskidneyhealth,treatmentoptions,andthesupport servicesweoffer.
On4March2026,theAll-PartyParliamentaryKidneyGroup,chairedbyJoWhiteMP,metto discussorgandonationandtransplantation,aswellasthewider,growingchallengeofkidney diseaseacrosstheUK,anddiscussedwhatstepscanbetakentoimprovethelivesofthose livingwiththecondition
TofindoutmoreabouttheAll-PartyParliamentaryKidneyGroupmeeting,staytunedforour nextissueofKidneyLife.Ifyoudon’trecieveKidneyLifeyoucansignuphere: www.kidney.org.uk/News/kidney-life
NKFKIDNEYPATIENTASSOCIATIONDAY 2026 The Leonardo Royal Hotel in Birmingham was the venue for this year’s KPA Day on Saturday 14th March. The day started with a warm welcome to delegates attending on the day by David Coyle, who after 3 years as Chair of the NKF was stepping down.
As a follow on from the previous year, the opening sessions focused on the business of the day, with both the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Council meeting of the Federation. This year’s AGM saw a change in the executive committee and a change of officers.
After the business had been concluded, we were delighted to introduce Professor Smeeta Sinha, Renal National Clinical Director (NHS England) and Ron Cullen, Chief Executive of the UK Kidney Association. We were then treated to 3 KPAs sharing best practices with the group. TofindoutmoreabouthighlightsfromKPADaykeepyoureyespeeledforournextissueof KidneyLife.Ifyoudon’trecieveKidneyLifeyoucansignuphere: www.kidney.org.uk/News/kidney-life
Pleasenote:ThiseventisforpatientsunderthecareofSorbyKidneyInstitute.
Decidingtojointhekidneytransplantwaiting listisamajorandoftenemotionalstep Oneof thehardestpartsisnotknowingwhenthecall willcome,butunderstandingtheprocesscan makethewaiteasier.
Beingonthewaitinglistisapositivesign:your transplantteambelievesakidneytransplant willbenefityou.Manypeoplefeelliketheyare “puttinglifeonhold”whilewaiting,butthis mindsetcantakeatollonmentalhealth.Since theaveragewaitis2–3years,it’simportantto continuelivingyourlifeasfullyaspossible.
Waitingtimescanvarywidely.Somepeople receiveakidneymuchsooner,whileothers waitlonger Factorsaffectingthisinclude bloodgroup,tissuetype,thelevelof antibodiesinyourblood,ageandethnicity. Childrenandyoungpeopletendtobe matchedfaster,whilepeoplefromBlack,Asian andminorityethnicgroupsoftenwaitlonger WaitingtimescanalsodifferfromoneUK transplantcentretoanother.
Onceyou’reonthelist,themostimportantrule issimple:keepyourphoneswitchedonatall times.Thecallcanarrivedayornight,and yourteamneedstobeabletoreachyou quickly.Makesuretheyhaveyourcorrect mobilenumber,homenumberanda nextofkincontact
Whenthecallcomes,itusuallymeansyouare thebestmatchavailableforakidneyatthat moment.Amemberoftheoncalltransplant teamwillconfirmwhetheryouhavedeveloped anynewmedicalissues.Ifnot,you’llbeasked totraveltothetransplantunitassoonas possible.Sometimesyoumayhaveseveral
hoursbeforetheoperation,butinothercases youmayneedtogettohospitalurgently
Occasionally,thecallmaybetodiscuss whetheryouarewillingtoacceptakidney thatisnotconsideredperfect.Thetransplant professionalwillexplainimportantdetails suchasthedonor’sagerange,sex,causeof deathandanymedicalconditionsthatcould affectthekidney.
Trynottopanic Focusongettingtothe hospitalsafely.Packessentialssuchas nightclothes,slippers,toiletries,achargerand allyourmedication.Avoideatingand drinking.
Whenyouarrive,expectbloodtests,x‑rays andwaiting.Akeytest thecrossmatch checkswhetheryourbloodreactstothe donor’s.Anegativeresultmeansthe transplantcanusuallyproceed Sometimes thetransplantdoesnotgoahead,often becausethedonor’sorganscouldnotbe retrieved.
Afterthekidneyarrives,thesurgeonwill prepareitbycheckingthebloodvesselsand ensuringitishealthyenoughtouse.Youwill thengothroughtheconsentprocessbefore beingtakentotheatrewhenaslotbecomes available
AGEINGWELLWITHKIDNEYDISEASE We’vejustlaunchedanewleafletonAgeingWellwithKidneyDisease&PreventingFrailty.
Itcovers: Livingwithkidneydiseaseaswegetolder Whatfrailtyisanditssymptoms
Howtostaymentallyandphysicallyactive andmuchmoretohelpyoulivewell
View&downloaditonlinehere: https://shorturl.at/f9SC1
Wantahardcopy?ContacttheNKFHelpline: �� 08001690936
✉ helpline@kidney.org.uk
OurHelplineTeamisavailable: Monday–Thursday:08:30am–5:00pm Friday:08:30am–12:30pm
FUNDRAISING JointheBestFootForwardChallengethisAprilandwalkorrun72,208stepstoraisevital fundsforpeoplelivingwithkidneydisease.
Whetheryoupreferabriskwalkaroundthepark,joggingthroughyourneighborhood,oreven dancingyourwaytofitness,everystepyoutakebringshopeandsupporttokidneypatients andtheirfamiliesacrosstheUK.
Raise£10ormoreandyou’llreceiveanexclusivepairofchallengesockstocelebrateyour achievement!
Why72,208steps?
Thisisn’tarandomnumber ItrepresentsthetotalnumberofpeopleintheUKcurrentlyliving withakidneytransplantorreceivingdialysis.Everystepyoutakeisasteptowardhelping someonewhodependsontheselife-changingtreatments. Behindeverycharitychallengesignup,there’sareason. ThisisSurjit’s:
“Myaimistocontinueregularlyraisingfundsaslongasmy healthpermits.
ItookpartintheBestFootForwardChallengelastyearto supporttheNationalKidneyFederationcharityandI coveredover200,991steps!Ihavealwaysbeenproactivein supportingcharitiesandIhavedonelotsofcharitywalks.”
Nowit’syourturn.TakeinspirationfromSurjit,setyourown goal,andmakeeverystepmatter.
Byjoiningthechallenge,you’llbehelpingtofundfreesupport servicesforkidneypatientsandtheirfamilies,providing advice,emotionalsupport,andpracticalguidanceatatime whenit’sneededmost.Yourstepswillmakeareal,lifechangingdifference.
Signuptodayandstartyourjourney: www.kidney.org.uk/bff2026
Don’tforgetonceyouhavesigneduptojoinourclosedFacebookgroup!
Alreadysignedup?Don’tforgettosetupyourJustGivingpagetotrackyourprogressand shareyourjourneywithfriends: www.justgiving.com/campaign/bestfootforward2026
WhyjointheNKF?
Supportvitalpatientservices yourmembershiphelpsfundourfreeHelpline,Peer Support,andadvocacyacrosstheUK Receiveexclusivememberbenefits
Whatyouget
10%OFFVoucherDiscountonselectitemsintheNKFonlineshopplusexclusive memberonlydiscountdays. InvitestospecialNKFeventsanddiscountedentrytoourAnnualEvent. Earlynoticeofupcomingsales,campaigns,eventsandmore
Yourmembershiphelpsdosomuch
KeepourHelplinerunning-theNKFHelplineisalifelinefor thousandsofpatients.Manycallwhentheyneed immediatehelp,guidanceorjustsomeonewho understands.Membershipdonationshelpensurethisfree serviceremainsavailable
Fundeducationalsupport-ourlibraryofkidneyhealth leaflets(PIF-certified)stayscurrentandfreeforpatients, renalunits,andGPs.Yourmembershiphelpsuscreateand distributetheseresourcesnationwide.
Advocateforbettercareandpolicy—withmember supportwecampaignforimprovedkidneycare,influence policy,andpushforaccessibletreatmentsacrosstheUK. SupportlocalKidneyPatientAssociations(KPAs) your contributionhelpssustainover50KPAsacrosstheUK, strengtheninglocalsupportnetworksandpatientvoices
Together, we can bring hope and support to kidney patients and their families across the UK. Join now https://bit.ly/nkfmembership
NKF KPA MEMBERS Currentlythereare54KidneyPatientAssociations(KPAs) whoaremembersoftheNKF Pleasefindthedetails belowoftheKPAsavailableorformoreinformationplease contacttheNKFofficeon01909544999oremail chris@kidney.org.uk.
ChrisTalbot
NKFMembershipDevelopmentLead
IfyouareaKPAthatwouldliketobecomeanNKFmember, pleasecontactchris@kidneyorgukorcall07908845713 WeareproudtosupportKPAsandtobethepatient voiceacrosstheUK.
FindyourlocalKPAtoday: www.kidney.org.uk/kidney-patient-associations
Discoveropportunitiestoshareyourexperienceand supportkidneyresearch.
TheNKFhavecreatedapageonlinewhereyoucan exploreallthecurrentopportunitiestotakepartin studies,surveysandinterviewsrunbyhealthcare professionalsandmedicalstudents
Theseprojectsaimtodeepenunderstandingofkidney diseaseandyourinsightscouldmakearealdifference.
https://shorturl.at/Ssw9V
