For 50 years, Kidney Care UK has been providing trusted support to people living with kidney disease and their families. Founded in 1975 as the British Kidney Patient Association, we've grown to become the UK's leading kidney patient support charity, helping people at every stage of their kidney journey.
Our impact in 2025
In 2025, Kidney Care UK:
- Provided information, advice and support to 12,359 people in need through our free Support Line
- Supported over 5,700 people through our Counselling and Patient Support & Advocacy services
- Realised more than £2.4 million in benefits income secured for families facing hardship
In addition, we continue to raise awareness of kidney disease across the UK public through our #BloodyAmazingKidneys campaign, with over 350,000 completions of our five-minute Kidney Health Checker tool to date.
Find out more about the wide-reaching impact of our work for the kidney community:
Our work would not be possible without the generous support of charitable Trusts and Foundations. Your investment enables us to deliver practical, financial and emotional support to people and families living with kidney disease.
Unrestricted and multi-year funding allows us to invest in our people and services, respond where the need is greatest, and reach more people with trusted support when it matters most.
You can also make an impact by restricting your gift if you prefer to one our services including:
Delivering six free, one-to-one counselling sessions to kidney patients, families and carers, providing a safe space to process difficult emotions, develop coping strategies and feel better equipped to manage the realities of living with kidney disease.
Working in renal units across the UK, our Patient Support Officers provide tailored support to a patient’s needs whether that is answering a simple question or working alongside someone over time to address complex and often overwhelming challenges.
Our Patient Support & Advocacy service takes a holistic approach, supporting patient to:
- Navigate the welfare and benefits system and access vital financial support
- Understand their condition and treatment options, and feel confident in decisions about their care
- Manage practical challenges such as housing, transport and daily living needs
- Access emotional support, including referrals to specialist counselling and peer support
- Connect with wider services, resources and grants to improve quality of life
- Move towards a more independent, sustainable quality of life
The difference your support could make
-
£1,000
could provide emergency financial support to people experiencing hardship, helping them meet the additional costs of living with kidney disease -
£10,000
could fund a full six-week course of one-to-one counselling for 19 people affected by kidney disease, helping to improve mental well-being -
£50,000
could provide unrestricted funding to expand our Patient Support & Advocacy service, ensuring more patients can access trusted information, practical support and expert guidance
Our Money & Energy Advice service
Kidney Care UK are proud to be working alongside the British Gas Energy Trust supporting those disproportionately affected by the rising cost of living through a dedicated Money & Energy Advice service. Our advisors work on a one-to-one basis with people with kidney disease, assessing their needs and identifying sources of support to resolve practical, financial and psychosocial challenges.
Having a long-term health condition like chronic kidney disease (CKD) usually leads to increased costs for heating, water, and a kidney-friendly diet. Transport to and from multiple medical appointments for dialysis patients is also incredibly costly.
According to our Cost of staying alive report, 98% of respondents said they worry about the rising cost of living, and nearly nine out of 10 reported that it was having an impact on their mental health.
Kidney patients have been disproportionately impacted by cost-of-living increases and are at increased risk of fuel poverty. We’ve seen a significant increase in demand for our services with specific requests for support related to finances and coping with rising costs. We’re delighted to be working with British Gas Energy Trust to meet this increased need and provide support to thousands of people at most risk of poverty. We have seen a huge increase in demand for grants to help kidney patients pay their heating bills every winter and this service will help us to ensure people who need this vital support are able to access it at a time when they need it most.Laurie Cuthbert, Director of Fundraising, Marketing & Communications at Kidney Care UK
We are delighted to continue supporting Kidney Care UK and the vital work they do. From providing practical, emotional and financial support to offering expert energy advice that helps people manage high household costs, their services make a real difference to thousands of people living with kidney disease.Tracey Talbot, Interim CEO of British Gas Energy Trust
What you can expect when partnering with us
We value and support every trust and foundation we work with. For us, a partnership goes beyond financial backing. It’s about aligning values, missions, and principles. When we're working in partnership:
We’ll report back regularly on the impact of your donation
We want you to know how your funding is making a difference to kidney patients and their families.
We'll share details of our progress
You'll be kept up-to-date about projects and new policy campaigns we are working on to help improve the lives of people affected by kidney disease.
We'll help you spread the word about the work we do together
We'll work with you to raise awareness of the impact your support has had. This might include providing key messaging and stats, quotes for a press release, or photos and graphics for social media.
Get in touch
If you'd like to find out more about partnering with Kidney Care UK, we'd love to hear from you. To discuss how your Trust or Foundation could help transform the lives of the 7 million people living with chronic kidney disease across the UK, please contact Kidney Care UK's Trusts and Foundations Manager, Samantha Straker.
Together, we can ensure that a diagnosis of kidney disease no longer means a life dominated by illness, but one filled with hope, support and possibility.