The NWKN is focused on collaboration between our patients, Nephrology teams and local commissioning services. We will promote positive working relationships and encourage innovation as well as quality improvement. Our focus is on reducing variation and health inequalities within pathways of care.
Our Mission
Improving care for kidney patients
Our Vision
Improve the lives of kidney patients and tackle health inequalities
Ensure pathways are safe and effective
Ensure workforce is supported
Our Ambitions
To address health inequalities
Improve access to transplantation
Improve access to timely vascular access
Reduce patient infections
Establish a new standard for AKI
Transfers and set up a regional AKI network
Establish standards across the network. Establish optimal pathways for Transplant, AKI, CKD, Dialysis, Paediatric and Transition
Improve psycho-social health
Establish new commissioning models
Implement procurement and sustainability initiatives across the region
To ensure all ESKD patients are assessed fully in the AKC
Reducing variation across pathways of care by harmonising the patient journey, using data to provide evidence for change.
Reviewing, standardising and implementing clear pathways, focused on:
Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT) (including haemodialysis, home dialysis HD and PD, transplantation)
Paediatric and Transition
Workforce, Capacity and Education.
Enhanced supportive Care
Renal genomics pathways in the North West
Previously known as Operational Delivery Networks (ODNs), Specialised Services Clinical Networks (SSCNs) SSCNs are commissioned nationally and regionally to improve outcomes through strong clinical relationships across a system, co-ordinating patient pathways between providers over a wide area to ensure access to specialist resources and expertise. All networks have an important role in delivering the triple aim, supporting:
better health and wellbeing of everyone,
the quality of care for all patients, and
the sustainable use of NHS (National Health Service) resources
All SSCNs have an NHS England network service specification to guide network activity. The kidney network specification can be found below
The Kidney Network National Specification (NHS England)
The strategic objectives of the Kidney SSCN are:
Support the delivery of the renal service transformation programme and the renal GIRFT recommendations by working with the Renal CRG (Clinical Reference Group), Local commissioners, providers of renal services and local ICBs
Promoting equity of access and reducing health inequalities
Quality of care, autonomy, and wellbeing for those living with kidney disease,
Quality improvement, across the whole care pathway
Value in healthcare
Guidance for national objectives is stated in the Kidney Network specification updated in July 2023 and the network is required to use this to establish all workplans locally.
National Work Programme 
Supporting restoration and recovery of renal services
Promoting equity of access and reducing health inequalities
Increasing the autonomy and wellbeing for those living with kidney disease
Improving the quality of care, including outcomes and patient experience, across the whole care pathway
Collaboration within the network and sharing learning between networks
Value in healthcare
To restore referrals for treatment to pre-pandemic levels
To reduce patient waits to pre-pandemic levels
To reduce variation across the care pathway by developing, agreeing, and implementing standardised pathways of care
To improve equity of access and outcome for everyone with kidney disease within the network catchment population
To identify health inequalities and develop plans to address these inequalities
To improve quality of care, autonomy, and wellbeing for everyone living with kidney disease within the network catchment population
To ensure that the available health resource is used effectively and efficiently, providing best value for every health pound.
All kidney network activity is linked to the RSTP. RSTP is a multi-agency whole-pathway collaboration, drawing on prior achievements and the expertise of the kidney care community in conjunction with national bodies, research, patient, and charitable groups.
We will support and design interventions to commission and deliver services consistent with the Long-Term Plan over a defined 3–4 year period, with a focus on improvement.
Engagement with over 350 stakeholders has informed the RSTP, with ten high impact changes identified through consultation as necessary to deliver patient-centred care in four domains:
Equity of access, understanding and addressing long-known health inequalities
Quality of care, with an emphasis on autonomy and wellbeing for those living with kidney disease, and on defining and implementing best practice
Quality improvement, by using local dashboards to understand and correct variation, connecting the whole care pathway to prevent progression and personalize care
Value in healthcare, developing new and local commissioning models, timely care bundles for acute kidney injury and through sustainable, collective procurement of high-cost drugs and device
