Kidney Matters - Issue 12 Spring 2021

30
From the front line
Covid-19
At Kidney Care UK we work tirelessly to
campaign for better care and support for
people with kidney disease. This has been
as important as ever during the Covid-19
pandemic and evidence from patients
has been a vital part of our work.
Evidence gathered from people living with kidney
disease helps us understand what we need to speak
out about and gives credibility and authority to our
campaign asks. Robust data is critical when briefing
MPs, in meetings with policy makers and when working
with clinical colleagues. We have run a series of patient
surveys to gather evidence on key challenges that
people with kidney disease have faced during the
Covid-19 pandemic and to explore the support needed
to cope with these challenges. We are extremely
grateful that so many of you have given your time to
share your experiences. We have listened carefully so
that we can speak up on your behalf and try to secure
the support people with kidney disease need.
Covid-19 patient surveys
At the time of writing we have completed two large
surveys, one during the initial shielding period and the
second after shielding was paused in August 2020, plus
a smaller survey with the Welsh Kidney Charities.
Findings include that health services for kidney
patients were hugely disrupted, with appointments and
surgery being cancelled for one in five respondents.
Furthermore, patients were having to choose between
their health and their livelihood. Nearly two thirds of
people expected back into work were concerned about
the safety, but felt they had to go back regardless. Half
of the respondents who were parents as well as kidney
patients were worried about schools reopening. One in
ten were considering keeping their child at home.
Some patients were anxious about how they would
access essential supplies of food and medicine if
and when restrictions were tightened. Other themes
reflected in the survey results include the huge impact
on the mental health and emotional wellbeing of
Disruption to health services
Education
47%
reported disruption to the care
they received
?
1 in 10
were considering not sending
their children back to school
1 in 5
had surgery or
appointments
cancelled
20%
are struggling to get
advice on their health
concerns and worries
49%
were reluctantly allowing
their children to return to
school despite concerns
44%
would like the ability to
home-school if shielding
or in local lockdown again