NKF - National Kidney Federation

05/02/2026

Today is Time to Talk Day 💬
If you or someone you love is affected by kidney disease, you’re not alone — and you don’t have to figure everything out by yourself.

Our confidential Helpline 0800 169 09 36 is open for anyone who wants to talk, whether you’re living with kidney disease, supporting a family member, caring for someone, or simply have questions about kidney disease.

We can help by providing trusted information on:
▪️ Your condition and what it means for you
▪️ Treatment options
▪️ Medications and how to take them
▪️ Financial support and benefits
▪️ Holiday and travel planning
▪️ Going over your GP or hospital appointments
▪️ Emotional support

We also provide 200+ information leaflets and packs, written by nephrologists, available as single copies or bulk orders for individuals, renal units, hospitals, and KPAs free of charge.

Sometimes the most important step is simply starting the conversation. We’re here when you’re ready. 🧡

Call our NKF Helpline on 0800 169 09 36, email us at helpline@kidney.org.uk, or use our live chat on www.kidney.org.uk.

05/02/2026

A big thank you to all who attended the launch of Voices to Vision Listening Events yesterday.

The day was a great success, and we left the session inspired and motivated to continue our mission of empowering those with lived experiences to shape a national kidney disease strategy.

If you would like to have your say, please do check out our upcoming listening events here and register your interest: https://www.kidney.org.uk/7-million-lives-at-risk-whats-the-plan

04/02/2026

Feeling alone with kidney disease? You don’t have to be.

Whatever stage you are at, newly diagnosed, on dialysis, transplanted, or supporting someone you love, it can help to talk to someone who truly understands.

Our NKF Peer Support Service connects you with a fully trained peer supporter who has lived experience of kidney disease. Someone who gets it, listens, and shares from the heart

Peer support can help you:
• Feel less isolated
• Talk things through in confidence
• Gain reassurance from shared experience

You’re not asking too much. You’re just reaching out and we’re here to help.

Learn More - www.kidney.org.uk/peer-support

Call 0800 169 09 36, email helpline@kidney.org.uk

Monday–Thursday: 8:30 am–5 pm | Friday: 8:30 am–12:30 pm

03/02/2026

World Kidney Day 2026 is on 12 March and Don’t Kid Yourself is back! As the Kidney Charities Together Group Kidney Care UK, Kidney Research UK, Kidney Wales, Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Charity UK, Popham Kidney Support and UK Kidney Association we are all working together to bust myths about kidney disease and show why kidneys matter! 💛

We need YOU to help challenge misconceptions, spark conversations and make kidney health impossible to ignore. Watch our socials to see how to get involved. This is the year we change the narrative.


World Kidney Day UK

02/02/2026

Voices to Vision: Co-designing a Kidney Disease Strategy 🗣

We want to hear from you about what needs to change and what should be prioritised in a new national strategy for kidney disease.

Join our free in person and online listening events to share experiences where we will explore:
- Priorities for improving kidney care and outcomes
- Challenges and variation in current services
- Opportunities to adopt innovation and new models of care
- Future service planning and decision making
- How we put patients at the heart of strategy

Whether you or a loved one has kidney disease, or if you work with or support people with kidney disease, we want to hear from you.

The kidney disease strategy will focus on England, while recognising the impact on Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Voices from all devolved nations are welcome to participate.

Find out more and register your interest here:
https://www.kidney.org.uk/7-million-lives-at-risk-whats-the-plan

02/02/2026

🎉 Join a free webinar for the IgA nephropathy community.

Living with this condition can affect more than your physical health – it can have an impact on your emotional wellbeing and day-to-day life, too.

As part of the ‘Navigate Your Numbers in IgA Nephropathy’ campaign initiated and funded by CSL Vifor, we are hosting a webinar for people with IgA nephropathy and their loved ones on Wednesday 18th February, 2026 from 6-7pm UK time.

Join a panel of clinicians and patient voices for practical tips on:
• Understanding the mental health challenges associated with IgA nephropathy
• Coping strategies and tools to support emotional wellbeing
• Living well alongside clinical care

🔗 Register here: https://www.kidney.org.uk/Event/nkf-webinar-series

02/02/2026

We love seeing our work in action 🤝

Kidney Patient Associations play a vital role in supporting their local communities, and we’re proud to work alongside them to provide trusted information.

With World Kidney Day coming up, now is the perfect time to make sure you’re stocked up with resources for your clinics, events, and outreach in your local area.

Did you know we can provide dual-branded NKF Helpline leaflets featuring your KPA logo — completely free of charge?

📦 Place your leaflet orders before 11 Feb to make sure they arrive in time.

These are ideal for clinics, events, support groups, and awareness days in your local area. If your KPA would like a supply, or a refreshed version with your logo, please contact our Helpline team on 0800 169 09 36 or email helpline@kidney.org.uk and we’ll arrange it.

Working together helps us reach more people affected by kidney disease with the right support at the right time.

Thank you Gloucestershire Kidney Patients' Association for sharing your leaflets. 🧡

It’s great to see collaboration in action — combining trusted national expertise with local support to make information clearer, more accessible, and more impactful for people affected by kidney disease.

Partnerships like this matter. When organisations work together, the result is better awareness, better resources, and ultimately better outcomes for patients and families.

A big thank you to the NKF - National Kidney Federation for the ongoing work you do and for making collaboration feel genuinely meaningful.

02/02/2026

Would you like a chat with one of our Helpline advisors about your CKD concerns? 🧡

Our Freephone Helpline can guide, reassure, and support you — just like we did for one caller with CKD, who knows we are here if they ever need us.

Call 0800 169 09 36, email helpline@kidney.org.uk or visit www.kidney.org.uk.

Monday–Thursday: 8:30 am–5 pm | Friday: 8:30 am–12:30 pm

01/02/2026

The NKF Best Foot Forward Challenge is Back! 👣🐾🌿

🥾Walk or run 72,208 steps this April to help raise money and support kidney patients.

🧦Get a FREE pair of challenge socks when you raise £10 or more!

Sign up today: https://www.kidney.org.uk/bff2026

31/01/2026

When the Government set out its 10-year NHS plan for major conditions last year, information relating to kidney disease was lacking. This is despite 7.2 million people in the UK living with chronic kidney disease, and its strong connection to conditions like diabetes and heart disease that were prioritised.

In response, we joined forces withKidney Care UK, Kidney Research UK , Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Charity UK, and UK Kidney Association, to call for change. Together, we delivered an open letter to the Prime Minister, backed by over 13,000 supporters, calling for a dedicated national strategy on kidney disease.

Now we need your help by taking part in our e-action, you can ask your local MP to write to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and push for action on kidney disease. It only takes a moment, review our letter template, and personalise as you wish.

➡️ Take action here:

7 million lives at risk - what's the plan? is a campaign by the National Kidney Federation, UKKA, Kidney Research UK, Kidney Care UK and PKD Charity calling on the government to commit to a national strategy for kidney disease, a Kidney Disease Modern Service Framework. Kidney disease is one of the....

31/01/2026

Word of the Week – Calcimimetic

A type of drug which is recognised by the body as if it is calcium (i.e. 'mimics' the effect of calcium). May be used to help lower the blood level of calcium in people with kidney failure and problems with calcium levels in the blood.

For more information and support visit www.kidney.org.uk.

You can also call our Freephone Helpline on 0800 169 09 36 or email helpline@kidney.org.uk.

Our Helpline is open:
• Monday to Thursday: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
• Friday: 8:30 am – 12:30 pm