Without action, kidney disease will become the UK’s fifth leading cause of premature death by 2040.

This week patients and charities have joined forces to demand the government takes action on the escalating threat from kidney disease, delivering an open letter directly to Downing Street. Patients representing five major UK kidney charities – Kidney Care UK, Kidney Research UK, The National Kidney Federation, the PKD Charity and the UK Kidney Association – delivered an open letter to the Prime Minister, calling for urgent government action to address the growing crisis in kidney disease, a condition that already affects around 10% of the UK population.

The open letter to the Prime Minister, which has been signed by over 13,000 people, calls for a national kidney disease strategy to improve early detection, prevention measures and fair access to treatment. The letter warns that kidney disease now affects more than seven million people, yet remains overlooked in national planning. Without a national strategy to tackle kidney disease across the UK it will continue to have a devastating impact on patients, families and the NHS.

Among those taking part was Thomas Haynes, 25, from Gloucestershire. Thomas told us: “It always feels as though kidney disease is never treated as seriously as it should be. To see a government stand up and say 'we are going to prioritise kidney disease' would feel like a massive game-changer, that finally someone in power is taking us seriously."

Fiona Loud, Policy Director at Kidney Care UK, added: “As the UK’s leading kidney patient support charity, we hear from people with kidney disease and their families every day who need our practical, emotional, and financial support. A lack of awareness and prioritisation in the UK has led to kidney health not receiving the focus it urgently needs. This lack of attention means that we are now looking at dialysis units reaching full capacity and the transplant list being the longest it has ever been. We must change this. With health and economic inequalities profoundly affecting those we support, it is clear that we urgently need a national strategy now.”

Around 30,000 people in the UK currently rely on dialysis treatment to stay alive, with numbers projected to reach 143,000 by 2033, and almost 7,000 people in the UK are waiting for a kidney transplant according to the latest figures from NHS Blood and Transplant. Our #BloodyAmazingKidneys campaign has highlighted that there is a significant lack of awareness of kidney disease, and far too many people are being diagnosed too late. The charities have come together to warn that while early detection and intervention can delay or prevent kidney failure in many cases, services remain inconsistent and under-resourced. New medications exist to slow disease progression, yet too few people are diagnosed early enough to benefit.

Following the delivery of the open letter, an All-Party Parliamentary Kidney Group (APPKG) meeting was held in Westminster, chaired by Jo White MP. It was an opportunity for MPs, charities, clinicians and professionals to come together to discuss the open letter and hear directly from the patient representatives about their personal experiences of living with kidney disease.

Ms Loud concludes: “The World Health Organisation’s recently passed a resolution recognising kidney disease as a global public health priority. The UK Government supported this resolution so we now need to see them follow up that support by developing a strategy that integrates prevention, early detection, innovation and equitable access to care.”

The full letter, signed by leading kidney organisations and members of the kidney community, can be read at: Calling on the Government to take action on kidney disease | UK Kidney Association