National Kidney Federation (NKF) launch home dialysis campagin
In September 2020 the NKF hosted a webinar, discussing home dialysis during COVID-19. During the webinar, it was revealed that patients who dialysed at home were at a substantially lower risk of contracting and dying of COVID-19, compared to people who dialysed in a hospital.
Dr Graham Lipkin, president of the Renal Association, highlighted the impact COVID-19 had had on dialysis patients and shared national findings on home dialysis from the draft Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) report. There were also presentations from patients and carers, giving their view on home dialysis and its benefits.
The NKF are now embarking on a national campaign to increase home dialysis in the UK, and have published a report, which can be read below. The report makes seven recommendations to the NHS.
The charity will be establishing a peer support service for home dialysis patients and carers by the end of 2021. This will give people currently dialysing in-centre the opportunity to talk in confidence to patients and carers with first-hand experience of home dialysis.
Improving the quality and uptake of home therapies for kidney patients remains a key priority of the Kidney Quality Improvement Partnership and we welcome this report.
Download a copy of the NKF report here.
Read about the KQuIP home therapies quality improvement project, DAYLife, here.
