UK Kidney Week 2017 is almost upon us; and what a great programme awaits in Liverpool.  Plenty for everyone whether your main interest is in medicines, devices or technology.  The Renal Association and our partners in 2017, International Society of Nephrology and the British Transplant Society, are looking forward to welcoming our industry colleagues to UKKW to share knowledge and the understanding that has developed over this past year and to learn about new initiatives and products.

By the time we all meet there will be a new UK government but whatever its political shade and make up, the economic, demographic and societal challenges, and indeed opportunities, facing the life sciences and healthcare industries will be largely unchanged.  At a macro level, the certainties of austerity coupled with the uncertainties and surprises the Brexit process will bring will shape public service funding.  Sitting in Manchester with a new Mayor who has responsibilities for Health and Social care it seems fairly clear that sustainability and transformation plans will be the regional planning currency of the NHS well into the next comprehensive spending review.

The Renal Association Kidney Quality Improvement Partnership programme led by Graham Lipkin, Clinical Vice President and supported by our Renal Association UK Renal Registry staff is up and running supporting local quality improvement to deliver higher value Renal healthcare.  These Renal Association regional programmes and events provide potential partnership opportunities with industry and will be the engine for adoption of renal innovations at scale and pace.

Also by the time we meet we will have also added a new acronym to the Renal Lexicon – GIRFT!  The Getting it Right First Time programme is the clinical work stream of the Carter procurement initiative.  The Renal Association is supporting NHS improvement in the appointment process and I am sure that you will want to meet with the successful candidate, or perhaps more likely pair of successful candidates doing a job share , at UK Kidney Week 2017.  Achieving GIRFT goals will be a prerequisite for release of transformation funds to STPs and Trusts.  So it will have top down influence which we hope will align with the Renal Association front line KQuIP programme.  Both will draw on our Renal Association UK Renal Registry dataset and our specialist services CRG specification in identifying unwarranted variation, setting goals and monitoring improvement.

Like other organisations the Renal Association itself is looking at efficiency, how we refine and improve our offer to our ordinary and corporate members and how we deliver on our charitable objects to increase the knowledge and understanding of the kidney so as to reduce the burden of kidney disease on patients and families.  As part of that process we are bringing our secretarial functions in house to sit alongside our Renal Registry business which we expect will improve value, add synergy and better enable us to contain costs.  I can also assure you that we were very much aware that the BRS decision this year not to be part of UK Kidney Week added financial pressures across the whole system.  So we are pleased that BRS will be joining the Renal Association in June 2018 for UK Kidney Week in Harrogate.  I hope this news will help you with your planning and the offer to your customers.

So a lot is happening on a whole variety of fronts.  I look forward to meeting as many of you who can make it to the UK Kidney Week 2017 corporate event at the Alchemist on the evening of Sunday 18^th June 2017 where all the key Renal Association and Renal community players will be present, or if you can’t make that event during the meeting itself at the ACC in Liverpool.

Renal Association, Durford Mill, Petersfield, Hampshire, GU31 5AZ

Tel: 01730 715 215 Fax: 01730 715 291  email: renal@mci-group.com

Company 2229663, registered in England & Wales, limited by guarantee and registered as charity no 800733