The UK Kidney Association has appointed Sarah Milne, Kidney Nurse Consultant and Clinical Lead for Chronic Kidney Disease and Renal Outpatients at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, as the new multi-professional team Co-Chair of the Chronic Kidney Disease Special Interest Group (SIG).

Sarah has over 20 years’ experience, with a particular focus on CKD prevention and early intervention, reducing health inequalities, education and peer support. She is Co-Chair of the CKD Network for North Central London ICB, where she leads system-level work to improve CKD pathways and outcomes, and previously served as education lead for the London Kidney Network Health Equity Group. In 2020, she was one of 16 multi-professional fellows selected for Health Education England’s national Population Health Fellowship.

In her new UKKA role, Sarah will co-chair the CKD SIG alongside Dr Gavin Dreyer, Consultant Nephrologist, supporting the next phase of development for the group.

Commenting on her appointment, Sarah said:

“I’m looking forward to working with Dr Gavin Dreyer and the UKKA to chair the CKD SIG group. I hope to build on work that I have led at a local system level, to support learning and sharing of best practice in the early identification of CKD, reducing disease progression and health inequalities. My goal is to bring in the voice of multiprofessional colleagues from across the country, including primary care, and strengthen collaboration with the voluntary and community sector and industry partners.”

The CKD SIG is relaunching with a refreshed steering group, updated workplan and revised workstreams. The group’s aim is to support collaboration across nephrology, primary care and the wider multi-professional workforce, share best practice and quality improvement, support education and CPD, and inform CKD policy, service development and research priorities.

As part of this work, established workstreams such as the eGFR Working Group continue to progress research focused on improving the accuracy and equity of kidney function assessment, including addressing ethnic disparities in CKD detection and risk prediction.

Further information about the CKD SIG relaunch and opportunities to get involved will be shared with members in due course.