Formation of the UKKA
The UK Kidney Association (UKKA) was created to support the whole multi-professional team (MPT) in the delivery of kidney care, education and research – enabling people to live well with kidney disease.
The new organisation brought together, into one membership organisation, the extensive history of the Renal Association, the work of the UK Renal Registry, and the multi-professional focus of the British Renal Society and its affiliates.
After two years of engagement and discussions between the Renal Association and the British Renal Society, an overwhelming majority of the kidney community supported this merger to form the UK Kidney Association. The transition reflected the evolving needs of the wider community and the centrality of multi-professional working in kidney care.
The UK Kidney Association now supports the entire professional kidney community in the delivery of kidney care, through education, training, research, quality improvement, service and workforce development.
Stronger together
Many past achievements have come through joint initiatives including the joint UK Kidney Conference (UK Kidney Week), The Kidney Quality Improvement Initiative (KQIP), patient safety, patient information and comprehensive COVID-19 support. The merger offered major benefits for members including economies of scale, opportunities for workforce modernisation and coordination to be realised and creation of high-achieving speciality interest groups (SIGs) in major areas of practice.
Working closely together, the UKKA delivers a robust, focused and highly integrated approach for the multi-professional kidney team. This facilitates greater support for professional development and education for all members. As a merged Association, the UKKA has greater influence across England and the devolved nations on healthcare commissioning, clinical and laboratory research and industry collaborations. The Association is committed to developing external kidney charity stakeholder partnerships.