Collaborating with other agencies is an important part of the work of the Kidney Dietitian Specialist Group. It helps to get Renal Dietitians' voice in the wider picture, and enables your expertise and skills to be included in national work. Please contribute any opinions and ideas so that we can represent a concensus of our group.
UKKA links –requests for dietitians in their working groups
We are pleased to announce that Linda Tarm has been appointed as a UKKA Trustee. Her post is Honorary Membership and Policy Secretary, and you can read more about Linda and her role here. We hope to work with Linda to promote dietitians' profile in the UKKA, to ensure high quality diet care, and to make a difference to renal care nationally.
Dietitians are becoming well represented. Katie Durman has been working with the UKKA Guidelines Committee, and is currently producing a guideline for the Management of Hypertension in Dialysis. Having a member as part of the Guidelines Committee will help ensure that dietitians are invited to relevant groups. Angeline Taylor is attending the UKKA Sustainability Group, Sharon Huish is attending the Rare Renal group and Rosie the Renal Pregnancy group. Angie Doherty represents dietitians on the UKKW organising committee. Dietitans are also involved in the following guidelines in development: Symptom Mangement in patients with end stage CKD, Post op care in the kidney transplant recipient, Decision tree for the patient on heamodialysis at risk of, or is malnourished (with BAPEN).
There will be more openings throughout next year, and we will let you know via social media, and our newsletter when these arise. Normally, the commitment is to attend one virtual meeting per month and then feedback/feed-in where appropriate. If you have a special interest area, then attending a subgroup/ committee/ guideline group is an excellent opportunity.
Under our UKKA membership section here, you can find out how to activate your UKKA membership. This also entitles you to membership of ERA, which also hosts a wealth of CPD activities. On the page, you can find a list of the sub groups and committees. We aim to ensure representation of kidney dietitians in all appropriate groups. So, if you are a member of a sub group or committee of the UKKA, or would like to join one, please let us know. [email protected]
Kidney Kitchen and Kidney Care UK
Kidney Kitchen continues to produce easy, colourful, culturally varied and, most importantly, tasty recipes. Every recipe is analysed by a kidney dietitian and the KDSG committee will add further comments. Posters and booklets are available. Follow the link to see more. A wealth of recipes is available on their site, many with videos of the food being cooked.
We are excited to announce that KDSG is now working with PRING to produce family recipes, including information for children with CKD. Young people have been invited to contribute and video their recipes for the Kidney Kitchen site. 10 Family friendly recipes have been approved to date. Look out for more results of this venture soon on the website.
In Autumn 2022, the first recipe collection magazine, Eat Well Spend Less, was published to respond to the need for budget recipes. More recipe magazines, Safe Weight Loss and South Asian Recipes are available free on their website for people with CKD. More titles are planned throughout 2025. KCUK are unable to support producing more of the large flip top format, but will produce versions with fewer recipes in a magazine style. These magazines can be ordered in bulk for dietitians to distribute to patients, but there is now a charge. The KDSG has made a case to KCUK to reinstate the free copies for dietitians to give out, and we are waiting to hear the outcome.
KCUK have a rolling program to update all their information for people with CKD, and the KDSG have been working with them in any food related areas. Some are available in bulk free of charge for dietitians to order, such as the First Line Potassium advice. KDSG will continue updating with KCUK. They have received PIF acreditation for their work. They also ask us to contribute to articles of interest from time to time for their website, such as these on phosphate additives.
Shelley Wills leads with all Kidney Kitchen and KCUK work.
Nutrition and Dietetic Resources (NDR-UK)
We have a small working group set up to review the NDR renal resources and update with the latest evidence, clinical practice and lifestyle/culture. We would still like to hear from anyone interested in joining. In particular, participation from dietitians working in Wales and Northern Ireland would be welcome, in order to include all UK nations.
This project started with an invitation for comments on the current range of Kidney Information leaflets, closing on April 18th 2025. Project groups are facilitated by NDR-UK and follow a robust production process that supports members to build networks, demonstrate individual and professional leadership to benefit wider practice and patient care.
Working with NDR-UK will be voluntary, will provide excellent CPD, and will ensure up to date kidney resources are available nationwide. Please contact us [email protected] for more information.
National Kidney Federation
We have worked with the NKF, so that they can have up to date information available for patients. We have produced a 'Healthy Eating for your Kidneys' booklet. Jo Pulman lead on this project, and has also produced a Potassium Matters booklet. We would like to have an ongoing program to update more resources, and are hoping to arrange this soon. [email protected]
Kidney Research UK
We approached KRUK earlier in the year, and they have asked us to help update their diet and recipe section. We were also represented at a scoping meeting of multiprofessionals who work in the area of CKD in Diabetes, and people with Diabetes and CKD last year. The aim was to identify what the knowledge gaps are, and to prioritise areas for research. We hope to further develop this link with KRUK.
PEN links
PEN, from time to time, ask for a UK reviewer for their CKD articles. This is an excellent CPD opportunity for anyone intending to submit abstracts or articles elsewhere in the future. Working as a reviewer will also help ensure high quality of the available information. We will announce the requests on the Kidney Dietitian Specialist Group webpage when we hear of them. But the application deadlines tend to be very tight, so you are welcome to let us know now of any speciality interests in readiness for future opportunities.
Renal version of ‘Carbs and Cals’
This project has been put on hold by the Carbs and Cals company who are prioritising other projects for now. Shelley Wills leads, and meanwhile welcomes interest for working on the project. We are considering how we might reflect the bio-availabilty of potassium, and of phosphate to reflect on the absorption rates of different forms. Funding will be found when the group are ready to start. Meanwhile, please let us know how this could be made as useful as possible a resource to you and our patients, and if you would like to join this group.
Links with other BDA Specialist Groups
We have recently formed links with the Sustainability Group of the BDA, PRING, the Obesity Group and PENG. We would welcome closer links with any other groups to work on areas of common interest.
BDA work on Advancing Research Opportunities
The BDA is working with a consultancy to scope how they can advance research opportunities. We are finding out how we can support this work. Meanwhile we have made funds available for buraries to attend conferences and have set up up an Abstracts, Conferences and Bursaries webpage, where you can also find tips for submitting abstracts.
We now have a dedicated Research committee member, Lina Johansson, who will be leading the development of resources to support Kidney Dietitians to present or publish their work.