NICE launches kidney quality standard

The UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has launched a quality standard for chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adults to coincide with World Kidney Day.

NICE quality standards, aimed at patients and the public, health and social care professionals, commissioners and service providers, are markers of excellence in patient care. They are developed in collaboration with the NHS and social care professionals, along with their partners and service users and are the only health and social care standards that apply nationally in England.

The quality standard on CKD defines high quality patient care, and includes such statements as: people with CKD are assessed for disease progression; people with CKD are assessed for cardiovascular risk; people with established renal failure have access to psychosocial support appropriate to their circumstances; and, people with CKD are supported to receive a pre-emptive kidney transplant before they need dialysis, if they are medically suitable.

Dr Fergus Macbeth, director of the Centre for Clinical Practice at NICE, said: "CKD is a potentially serious condition affecting a significant proportion of the population. If it is not managed properly, people with the condition may have up to 35 times higher risk of premature death. These standards will act as a tool for local healthcare professionals to help deliver the best available care for their patients. The NICE quality standard on CKD has been developed from a range of evidence sources such as published NICE guidance, and the UK Renal Association Clinical Practice Guidelines."

The quality standard on CKD is available on the NICE website from Thursday March 10.
www.nice.org.uk