Wales Lags 4 years Behind England on Renal National Service Framework

11.46.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 26th Sep 2007

At the start of Kidney Wales Foundation's four month campaign to improve Kidney services in Wales Jenny Randerson AM , Welsh Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson has stated her full support for their work. She said:

"The Renal National Service Framework critically lacks an action plan and a measurable timetable for action. A 2006 study undertaken by researchers from Bristol and Cardiff showed that 20% of the population lived more than 30 minutes from a dialysis unit and in large parts of Powys and Pembrokeshire the drive time is over 60 minutes. The Kidney Foundation have suggested that Wales is around four years behind.

"There are serious concerns about poor accountability for dialysis units and the number of kidney transplants remains totally inadequate. I fully support campaigns by both the BMA and Kidney Foundation Wales to increase the number of donors.

"This really is a life or death issue."

The Kidney Wales Foundation have presented a petition which requests that the National Assembly for Wales works with Kidney Wales Foundation and other stakeholders to set and achieve a target of doubling kidney donors in Wales by the end of this National Assembly in 2011. The petition also requests that the Assembly matches pound for pound the funding provided by Kidney Foundation Wales towards their campaign.

Notes:

The Petition is PET(3)02-07 (p4): 20 September 2007 which is awaiting a further evidence session.

White, P., James, V., Ansell, D., Lodhi, V., & Donovan K.L. (2006) Equity of access to dialysis facilities in Wales, Q J Med 99: 445-452

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