Press statement
8 March 2007
HOSPITAL SERVICES FOR KIDNEY PATIENTS NEED TO CHANGE
A new report from the Royal College of Physicians and the Renal Association says that major
changes are needed in the way hospitals organise care for kidney patients. The report is being
launched on World Kidney Day 8 March 2007, when the two organisations and the British
Society for Haematology host a one-day clinical conference at the RCP.
Over the past few years, the workload and work patterns of renal physicians have been changing
to better meet patient needs and hospital reorganisation. Expectations of patients and doctors
are changing – patients want more treatment options, and doctors want more flexible careers,
aligned to the changing roles of other groups within the multidisciplinary team. The increasing
number of patients with kidney disease calls for an increase in the number of consultant renal
physicians and will bring new challenges to how services are provided.
Some changes are due to the impact of the European Working Time Directive and Modernising
Medical Careers on rotas, continuous specialist cover, education and training, while some are
due to the changing nature of the service provided for patients. For example, consultant renal
physicians spend less time looking after patients in intensive care units, but more time caring for
patients with end stage renal disease, transplant patients, and diagnosing kidney disease at an
early stage, working with primary care services.
The report ‘The changing face of renal medicine in the UK: The future of the specialty’
recommends:
There should only be two types of unit to treat people with kidney problems – a renal unit (RU)
usually at district general hospitals, and a renal and transplant unit (RTU), usually based at
teaching hospitals. Apart from transplant surgery, both kinds of unit should have equivalent
support services such as imaging and laboratory services.
The UK needs more renal physicians to look after both existing and future patients – the
percentage of patients needing dialysis treatment for kidney failure in England and Wales has
risen around 5% per year since 2002.
Each renal unit should have at least two consultants, with four needed before the unit can
provide all services except transplantation
Doctors’ roles should be redefined within the multiprofessional clinical team to facilitate the
holistic care of patients and the most effective use of physicians’ skills in evaluation, diagnosis
and overall patient management
Linda Cuthbertson, telephone 020 7935 1174 extension 254 or 0794 105 7494 linda.cuthbertson@rcplondon.ac.uk
Lucy Widenka, telephone 020 7935 1174 extension 468 lucy.widenka@rcplondon.ac.uk
www.rcplondon.ac.uk
Registered charity number 210508
Further recommendations cover the provision of patient-centred care, commissioning of renal
services, recruitment and training, and academic medicine. If you would like a copy of the full
report or executive summary, or to arrange an interview please contact RCP PR Manager Linda
Cuthbertson on 020 7935 1174 ext.254, 0794 105 7494 or email
Linda.Cuthbertson@rcplondon.ac.uk.
Professor John Feehally, Consultant Nephrologist, University Hospitals of Leicester, Honorary
Professor of Renal Medicine, University of Leicester and President of the Renal Association,
said:
“Kidney disease is more common than previously thought, and the way people with
kidney disease are treated in the UK is changing and improving. This report makes it clear that
we need more renal physicians to meet this challenge, but that renal physicians must also be
evolving different, more flexible ways of working within stronger multiprofessional teams to
make the best of the opportunities that are available to improve outcomes for kidney patients.”
Professor John Monson, Emeritus Professor of Clinical Endocrinology and Consultant
Physician, St Bartholomew’ and the Royal London Hospitals, and Chair of the working party
report, said:
"We hope that this report will be useful in informing the process of workforce planning
in renal medicine at a critical time."
Notes to Editors
‘The changing face of renal medicine in the UK: The future of the specialty’ will be available
priced £10 from the RCP Publications Department on 020 7935 1174 ext.358. Free copies will
be downloadable from www.rcplondon.ac.uk from 8 March 2007.
The Royal College of Physicians is a professional membership organisation representing the
concerns of over 21,000 Fellows and Collegiate Members worldwide. The College aims to
ensure high quality care for patients by promoting the highest standards of medical practice. It
sets standards in clinical practice and education and training, conducts assessments and
examinations, quality assures external audit programmes, supports doctors in their practice of
medicine, and advises the Government, public and the profession on healthcare issues.
The Renal Association is the professional body for United Kingdom nephrologists (renal
physicians, or kidney doctors) and renal scientists in the UK. It is active in the planning and
development of renal services and nephrology in Britain. It is also involved in the promotion
and dissemination of research and education relating to the specialty. The Association was
founded in 1950, when its activities were restricted to holding scientific meetings. It has more
recently come to play an active role in the development of renal services within the U.K.
The objects of the Association are:
To advance, collate and disseminate knowledge of renal structure and function
To seek means for the prevention and treatment of renal disorders
To deal with any matters concerning the welfare of patients with renal diseases and the
organisation of services for their relief
Linda Cuthbertson, telephone 020 7935 1174 extension 254 or 0794 105 7494 linda.cuthbertson@rcplondon.ac.uk
Lucy Widenka, telephone 020 7935 1174 extension 468 lucy.widenka@rcplondon.ac.uk
www.rcplondon.ac.uk
Registered charity number 210508