We provide support for more than 100 patients every week and invest over £3 million each year in patient grants.
We provide practical and emotional support, funding patient-centred research projects and improving care services, having invested more than £10m in the NHS over the past decade to improve services for patients, funding renal social workers, play therapists to support paediatric patients and residential weekends for young adults transitioning from youth to adulthood.
We work at a national and government level to improve health and care services for kidney patients through our campaigning activity.
We ensure that the patient voice is at the heart of national decision-making in kidney services. We have a Patient Advisory Group which actively supports us in all our work.
The charity provides four core pillars of direct support.
Patient grants and financial support
We know that life can be hard when you’re coping with a long term condition like kidney disease and it can affect your ability to work and to live life to the full. This is why we offer grants to kidney patients who are struggling financially.
We are the leading UK provider of grants to kidney patients and in 2022 supported over 1,500 individuals with grants totalling more than £750,000. In the last 12 months, we have helped patients realise £1.7m in unclaimed benefits.
We believe it is a fundamental human right for everyone affected by CKD to be able to take a break. This is why we provide grants for those unable to fund a holiday or short break away from the monotony of kidney disease, as well as supporting Dialysis Freedom, a free service to help patients arrange NHS dialysis when they are travelling and away from home.
Patient support and advocacy
Our team of trained Patient Support & Advocacy Officers (PSAOs) across the UK can help with a range of issues around treatment choice, patient transport and benefit concerns. Our PSAOs help people to break down barriers and improve quality of life.
The team work on a one-on-one basis to reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness, either in person on renal units or remotely via telephone or digital platforms. The team are experts at building confidence and skills, enabling patients to better self-manage their future health and wellbeing. This service promotes independence, empowerment and self-reliance.
Counselling and Support Service
Our team of expert renal counsellors provide free counselling to anyone affected by CKD. Our counsellors just ‘get it’.
Kidney patient information
We have a huge range of free information on many aspects of kidney disease, including diagnosis, treatment, and practical information about life with CKD.
PIF Tick accredited for the trustworthiness of our information, our Patient Information service also includes the Kidney Kitchen, which is based on the principle of giving kidney patients permission to enjoy food. The Kidney Kitchen has more than 200 recipes by the Renal Nutritional Group (RNG), providing a safe, delicious range of recipes to help kidney patients and those affected by the condition to maintain a healthy kidney function. Find out more
