On Wednesday 9 September 2026, Kidney Care UK brought the voices of people affected by kidney disease to parliament. Kindly sponsored by Liz Twist MP, our parliamentary roundtable gathered patients, policymakers and healthcare professionals to identify how the NHS’s shift towards neighbourhood healthcare could help more people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) be identified, supported and treated earlier.

Changing the way care is organised and delivered, so that people with long term health conditions receive locally based, coordinated care from a range of services including GP practices, voluntary and community groups and pharmacies, is a priority for government. The aim is to keep people as well as possible and out of hospital, while making care more convenient and fit better with day-to-day life.

The roundtable heard why getting neighbourhood care right for people with kidney disease is vital now and for the future. Neighbourhood care should support earlier identification of kidney disease, making sure that people are provided with information that helps them understand and manage their CKD. It should also help patients to access a range of support, for example financial and benefits advice or peer support groups to learn from others living with the same condition.

Patients and professionals were clear about what needs to happen to achieve this. Establishing effective links between neighbourhood services teams and specialist kidney services could boost the confidence and skills of all staff in supporting people with kidney disease and could provide better access for people with kidney disease to the range of community support.

The positive news is that there are now some excellent programmes doing just this, in different UK areas. It's vital that these pilot projects move to becoming established across the UK, now their effectiveness has been proven.

Kidney Care UK is very grateful to everyone who contributed to the success of this roundtable and the parliamentarians who came to listen and learn. There was a huge amount of expertise shared, that was gained from living with kidney disease, working as a specialist in kidney disease or in community health, or planning and delivering services. We will use this insight to develop clear recommendations for action which will support our campaign to ensure the move towards neighbourhood health delivers high-quality, coordinated and convenient care for people with kidney disease.

Please keep an eye on our website where we will publish the report alongside ideas for how it can be used to improve kidney care in your area.