Working together to provide vital support thousands of people with chronic kidney disease in the heart of the UK.
Get in touch with Severn Trent online to find out about their support services for customers or call 0800 085 4986:
- Financial Hardship Fund
- Debt Support
- Signing up to Severn Trent Water's Priority Services Register.
We are pleased to be working in partnership with Severn Trent to help support more of the 260,000 people living with chronic kidney disease in this region to enable them to receive support appropriate to their condition. The partnership will allow both organisations to raise greater awareness of chronic kidney disease more generally and be supported with community awareness days and drop in clinics at dialysis units across the Severn Trent network.Laurie Cuthbert, Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Communications at Kidney Care UK
We’re absolutely committed to supporting our customers, and that includes providing extra care to those with medical conditions through our priority services register. So we’re delighted to be partnering with Kidney Care UK, as this will help us develop our knowledge and service to those with kidney disease, and make sure we’re giving them the support they needed. We know there’s thousands of our customers who need dialysis and kidney care, so we’re hoping to raise vital awareness with our teams, customers and their families so we can have a greater understanding about kidney disease and make sure we have the right things in place to best support those affected within our region.Mark Grice, External Relationships Manager from Severn Trent
Latest updates on our partnership
Kidney Care UK and Severn Trent water have delivered drop in clinics in Derby to help improve awareness and support kidney patients with their bills and will be delivering these clinics at various renal units across Severn Trent’s network over the coming year.
Tapping into help with water bills
Back in July 2023, teams from Kidney Care UK and Severn Trent Water visited Derby Royal Hospital’s dialysis unit to run a drop-in financial help clinic for patients on the ward.
Patient John Flint was on the unit receiving one of his three-times-a week, four-hour dialysis sessions.
He was unaware that his ten-minute meeting with the team would result in not just a considerable saving on his Severn Trent Water bill, but also, by helping relieve some of his financial worries, allowing him to concentrate on the treatment he needs to manage his kidney disease. John, 63, was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in early 2019, and, after a year on peritoneal dialysis (PD), moved onto unit-based haemodialysis after a series of infections in his PD catheter.
To add to his worries, the ex-publican’s partner, Tracey was also diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in 2021. The couple used to run a pub together, but their deteriorating health meant they had to stop working at the pub and move out.
The pressure the rising cost of living was placing on them, along with worries associated with managing several life-threatening health conditions and many hospital appointments, was beginning to take its toll on them both.
John was immensely relieved to be able to talk to Sonia Kanith, Relationships Co-ordinator at Severn Trent Water, about his financial concerns, and Sonia was very clear from the start that help was available.
Sonia explains: “I was able to talk John through our affordability schemes in detail. We agreed applying for the Big Difference Scheme would be supportive, and to save John the added worry of applying for the scheme, I helped him log into his Universal Credit account and send us his proof of income.
“John admitted he isn’t great with smartphones, so he really appreciated the help with completing the application. This has resulted in John receiving a 70% discount on his water bill and I’ve also been able to place him on our Priority Services Register.
“It was great to meet John and make it easier for him and Tracey to access the support we offer people across our region. He’s one very happy customer, with an amazing spirit!”
John is also looked after by Sandy Lines, Kidney Care UK’s Patient Support & Advocacy Officer.
“Sandy has been our lifeline and we both know we can pick up the phone and talk to her at any time if we need help navigating the benefits system, or need support with any aspect of my treatment,” adds John.
“We’d also like to say a huge thank-you to all the staff on the dialysis unit who work so hard and look after us so well.”