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Greater Manchester
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Discovery
Part of the Health Innovation Accelerator
Health Innovation Manchester is working in collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim to help the NHS understand the care of patients with CKD within the Greater Manchester health and care system.
Background
The kidneys are vital, life-sustaining organs, whose primary function is to filter the blood to remove wastes, toxins, and excess fluid from the body. The term ‘kidney disease’ encompasses a broad range of conditions that lead to issues with kidney function. Since the kidneys are vital to many bodily functions, kidney disease increases the risk of developing other diseases.
It is estimated 7.2 million people in the UK are living with CKD, with the total cost of kidney disease to the UK economy estimated at £7 billion1. In Greater Manchester, more than 10% of our population live with CKD, with 116,000 people living with more advanced kidney disease.
As CKD is a long-term condition, management of kidney disease relies on treatment to prevent CKD progression and avoidance of risk factors such as smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). It is important for a patient to be diagnosed early in their disease and properly staged to carry out accurate assessments of the severity of the disease, which helps to inform decisions associated with their management and monitoring2.
In Greater Manchester it is recognised that the current pathways and their impact on patients, caregivers, and health and care professionals are not fully understood by those responsible for commissioning kidney care services in the region. It is also recognised that disparities exist in accessing kidney care resources and services across the 10 localities within the region.
Project objectives
The aim of the project is to understand the prevalence of CKD in the Greater Manchester region, and identify how current resources are utilised including the pathways and their impact on patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals.
The project will also identify opportunities for improving integration, outcomes, and the experiences of patients and professionals throughout the CKD journey.
How does this link to our aligned priorities?
At a time of unprecedented health system pressures, and an ageing population, Greater Manchester’s aspiration is to establish an environment that enables the comprehensive commissioning of care for individuals throughout their entire healthcare journey.
This encompasses public health, primary and secondary care providers, specialised services, regional teams and importantly the patients themselves, along with our expert partners.
As the NHS progress towards delegated commissioning of renal services through our integrated care board, the ambition is to spearhead transformative initiatives spanning the entire healthcare systems and contribute to achieving the triple aim of delivering:
- the best quality of care to keep patients healthy and well
- improve value for individuals the population and the system by integrating care across the pathway and with a focus on prevention
- provide equitable access regardless of personal characteristics and geographical location
A co-design approach
As part of the programme, a series of workshops will take place with patients, carers, healthcare professionals and stakeholders involved across the CKD pathway, to bring together insights and ideas to co-create new opportunities and solutions that can address the specific needs and priorities across Greater Manchester.
This will be a collective starting point for change across the CKD pathway.
The Health Innovation Accelerator
The Health Innovation Accelerator encompasses two projects, the Advanced Diagnostics Accelerator and the DEVOTE programme, delivered through a partnership between Health Innovation Manchester, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), The University of Manchester, and industry partners.
This project is part-funded by the Greater Manchester Innovation Accelerator programme. Led by Innovate UK on behalf of UK Research and Innovation, the pilot Innovation Accelerators programme is investing £100m in 26 transformative R&D projects to accelerate the growth of three high-potential innovation clusters – Glasgow City Region, Greater Manchester and West Midlands. Supporting the Government’s levelling-up agenda, this is a new model of R&D decision making that empowers local leaders to harness innovation in support of regional economic growth and help attract private R&D investment and develop future technologies.
References
1 Kidney disease: A UK public health emergency The health economics of kidney disease to 2033 June 2023 https://www.kidneyresearchuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Economics-of-Kidney-Disease-full-report_accessible.pdf
2 NICE Guideline NG203 https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng203/
This webpage has been produced as part of a collaborative working partnership between Health Innovation Manchester and Boehringer Ingelheim Ltd.