Good news! The role that early identification and treatment of kidney disease must play in reducing cardiovascular conditions like heart disease has been recognised in a new government strategy.

It’s called the Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework (CVD-MSF) and identifies what actions local NHS services must take to cut premature deaths from heart attacks or strokes.

Action on kidney disease is included in recognition of its close links with cardiovascular disease (CVD). This is an important piece of the jigsaw, although not the complete picture on achieving the change that is needed in kidney care.

Kidney disease affects 7.2 million people in the UK and this is projected to rise by almost half a million people, to 7.6 million, by 2033. That’s one reason why the government’s three-year focus on finding the missing million people unknowingly living with kidney disease is so welcome.

We want to see a world where kidney disease is detected and treated, and people are supported to maintain their kidney health and avoid preventable kidney failure and CVD complications wherever possible. Highlights within the CVD MSF include:

• A recognition that CKD is a major risk for cardiovascular disease, alongside other conditions such as high cholesterol and diabetes that often cluster within the same individuals. Future care should identify and tackle these risk factors in a more joined-up way.
• One of the top priorities is increasing uptake of NICE-approved medicines called SGLT2 inhibitors in eligible people with kidney disease. SGLT2 inhibitors can delay progression of kidney disease and reduce the risk of cardiovascular complications like heart attacks and strokes.
• Developing the NHS Health Check so that it works better to identify people with chronic kidney disease.

Kidney Care UK contributed to this work and campaigns for better detection and pro-active management of kidney disease not only to reduce preventable cardiovascular CVD among people with CKD, but to reduce the numbers of people having to start dialysis or require a transplant. The transplant waiting list is the longest it has ever been and there is intense pressure on dialysis unit capacity, so we now need to understand how delivery of the MSF recommendations will be supported and achieved.

The challenges within dialysis and transplantation demonstrate that a dedicated Modern Service Framework for kidney disease is the next step needed. This could improve outcomes for adults and children at all points in the kidney disease journey, including those on dialysis or with a transplant, with a rare or genetic condition, or receiving care for advanced kidney disease without dialysis.

Kidney Care UK will continue to work with the kidney community to advocate for a kidney MSF to help everyone affected by kidney disease to live their lives to the full now and in the future.