Supportive Care
What is the purpose of this workstream?
The Supportive Care Workstream aims to ensure that people with kidney disease who are older and frailer get care that is as good as those who are younger and fitter. It does not have to be the same care but it does need to be the best of the right care for this group of patients.
The Workstream is helping to develop services and resources to enhance and maintain the best quality of life possible for those choosing maximal supportive care without dialysis, as well as those choosing to have dialysis.
Workstream chairs
Katie Vinen
Clinical Co-Chair
Heather Brown
Clinical Co-Chair
“We are really proud to lead a multi-disciplinary group of dedicated staff across all London renal units who are building the pathways to enable patients to optimise their symptoms, address their frailty needs, define their own priorities for care and live the later part of their life as well as they can.”
Katie Vinen and Heather Brown
Supportive care in London
As the demographics of our population change a greater number of patients cared for by kidney services will be older, frailer and often have complex and multiple other medical problems. At present these patients are often managed in the same way as younger patients with focus on biochemical targets, and complex dialysis regimes rather than the holistic care of the whole patient.
This can result in patients with many unmet needs, poor symptom control and frailty. Issues may arise such as poor mobility or memory problems which if addressed correctly can improve quality of life.
An audit in south London showed that health care professionals lack confidence in how to best offer supportive care pathways to patients. They wanted more access to training and education to help them.
Aims and objectives of the group:
Aims and Objectives
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- Increase the number of people accessing supportive care pathway through shared decision making
- Ensure patients are routinely screened with CFS (Clinical Frailty Score) and SQ (Surprise
Question) to identify those appropriate for supportive care - Routinely collect, report, and respond to supportive care data
- Create a Supportive Care training and education module for staff in use in all London kidney units
- GP Training package on kidney supportive care delivered across all ICSs
- LKN Supportive Care Patient information leaflets created and in us
Workstream Members
Other Resources
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- Difficult Conversation Booklet for Health Care Professionals
- The Supportive care e-module is now live! If you’d like to learn more about Supportive Care follow this link – Supportive Care