Primary Care

Primary care professionals play a vital role in the early identification, management and monitoring of kidney disease. As awareness of chronic kidney disease continues to grow, closer collaboration between primary and secondary care is becoming increasingly important to improve patient outcomes and ensure timely access to specialist services.

UKKA membership provides opportunities to develop your knowledge of kidney disease, learn from specialists working across the kidney community and stay informed about developments that can support patients in primary care settings.

I joined the Renal Association as a renal specialty trainee and have been a member since then. Initially I joined as an opportunity to network with collaborators across UK nephrology. Over recent years, with a focus on CKD prevention, integrated care and neighbourhood working, I have found it invaluable to remain connected to the now UKKA, and its multi-professional community.

I’ve been to many UK Kidney Weeks, presented oral and poster abstracts, chaired sessions, been part of the CKD and AKI Special Interest Groups, and now co-lead the newly formed Primary Care SIG. I have been an Integrated CKD Co-Lead, and in this capacity have supported the development of Education Hub resources for primary care, a primary care quick reference guide and events for stakeholders to support the roll-out of integrated CKD systems.

The UKKA is a vibrant multi-professional space, and as a primary care clinician, it has been invaluable to join a network of colleagues from across the UK, from different professional backgrounds, to work together to improve patient care. I’d encourage anyone with an interest in conservative kidney management care within primary care to join the UKKA.