NKF Kidney Patient Association Day 2023


Held on 22nd April this year, the KPA day was a great success. The day was attended by 40 KPA members and was varied, inclusive, interactive and very useful.

The morning started with a warm welcome from Jim Higgins, NKF’s outgoing Chairman, who was retiring from the position after three years. A minute’s silence was held for Frank Howarth, past President of the NKF, whose death had been announced a few days previously. We also remembered others who are no longer with us this year.
Getting going...
The first workshop got us all up and about moving to different corners of the room where we discussed the role of KPAs – what they are and what they might be and how things differ between KPAs. The discussion was lively especially around the issues of KPA access
to people on renal wards and clinics in some areas to provide them with support and information. Fundraising was also a hot topic, with everyone recognising the challenges in the current financial environment. The impact of Covid is still being felt and things have changed
for some KPAs.
The four groups fed back the highlights of their discussions and there was crossover. The main elements of the roles of all KPAs were agreed as:
• Supporting the renal community and giving them a voice locally which can be effective and also have an impact nationally and regionally by making the NKF aware of issues
• Signposting people to the NKF for advocacy
• Liaising with the renal unit and influencing some of their activity, building confidence in the system and positively promoting involvement
• Delivering new patient awareness activities by promoting patient to patient conversations to provide information, education and confidence
• Fundraising for equipment for units and satellites
• Recruiting members, including visiting patients on the wards and asking them to join. Some KPAs are involved in other activities such as:
• Day trips and social events
• Involvement in the design of a new dialysis unit
• Subsidised holiday home provision in some KPAs
• Providing small financial grants for people in need and reimbursement of parking fees
• Raising awareness of education and research into kidney disease, utilising guest expert speakers
• Funding a benefits advisor or social worker
• Out of area patient support
• Raising awareness in the wider community e.g. through a local charity shop or locally held event.
Discussion followed about fundraising, relationships with clinicians and staff in units and how much they differ, managing membership lists and access to patients and physically getting into hospitals and in front of patients on the wards. The discussion was helpful and thought provoking. It highlighted the differences between KPAs which was useful as tactics and approaches were explored and the learning and experiences shared.