A pilot programme aiming to improve patient care for people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) has been positively reviewed and could be rolled out elsewhere in the UK.
The LLR Chronic Kidney Disease Integrated Care Delivery Programme, or LUCID, aims to bring together GPs, kidney consultants, clinical pharmacists, social prescribers, and data professionals to have a thorough discussion about individual patients’ care plans.
The programme tries to consider different aspects of patients’ health to delay progression to dialysis, reduce the risk of heart and attacks and strokes, and prevent hospital visits.
LUCID also hopes to bring the expertise of consultants into primary care settings through increased education, a tool to identify high risk patients, and clinics to support patient management where primary care clinicians such as pharmacists and nurses receive training from consultants.
The programme is a joint working initiative between the John Walls Renal Unit in Leicester, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) and AstraZeneca UK.
The independent evaluation of the pilot began in April 2022 and saw trials take place in 54 clinics across nine Primary Care Networks (PCN), covering large parts of LLR. Funded by Health Innovation East Midlands and produced by analytics firm, Edge Health, the report says that the LUCID pilot:
- led to better clinical outcomes with patients receiving faster referrals and earlier intervention to slow down the progression of disease
- increased patient satisfaction and confidence in their care
- increased patient awareness on how to manage their condition, leading to improved engagement with their treatment and better quality of life
- led to a wider uptake of the NICE recommended Kidney Failure Risk Equation (KFRE), a validated risk prediction tool for kidney replacement therapy (dialysis or kidney transplantation) in individuals with CKD.
The LUCID programme shows that by making simple changes we can help to identify people at risk, ensure they receive the right tests and are offered interventions to help delay decline in kidney health.Fiona Loud, Policy Director of Kidney Care UK
In the UK it is estimated that around 7.2 million people are living with CKD stages 1-5. Of those, around 3.5m million people have the later stages of CKD (stages 3-5), when symptoms are likely to become increasingly difficult to manage.
Earlier detection and intervention for kidney disease is crucial to reduce the risk of both the need for dialysis or a kidney transplant and also heart attacks and strokes, which are more common if you have kidney disease. Both have profound impacts on quality and quantity of life so we’re delighted this independent report has shown the benefit of the LUCID approach and look forward to sharing it across the region and nationally.Dr Rupert Major, Associate Professor at University of Leicester and Honorary Consultant Nephrologist at University Hospital of Leicester NHS Trust