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It is less than a month now until our annual conference in Liverpool with the BTS. We have a good number of people pre-registered, but believe me, there is plenty of room for more!
It's a great programme, and it should be an enjoyable four days. On-line registration remains open until April 13th.
While you are registering, why not join us for the conference dinner, asides from a good dinner and social occasion it's an excellent opportunity to network with important colleagues.
Let me also remind you that voting for your next president is still open. Please take a few minutes to register your vote, it takes seconds.
This edition also includes meeting highlights and another request to feed back on the Blood borne viruses and peritoneal access guidelines. Trainees please respond to the census sent to you from the JSC Workforce Group. It is in your interest.
I look forward to seeing you all in Liverpool.
Best wishes
Lorraine Harper
Honorary Secretary | | Elections 2009
President - Elect
The following candidates have been nominated for the position of President Elect:
Charlie TOMSON Caroline SAVAGE Ballot papers and candidates' personal statements have been sent out electronically to all members.
Please ensure you have returned your votes by 17:00 on Tuesday 31 March 2009.
| RA BTS Conference, Liverpool 2009 21-24 April 2009
To register for the conference - click here
For further information please visit the conference website
There are still tickets available for the following social events; RA Conference Dinner at the Crowne Plaza Liverpool
Tuesday 21 April. Tickets are £35 per person. RA BTS Joint Formal Evening at the PanAm Club
Wednesday 22 April. Tickets are £20 per person. BTS Conference Dinner at the Crowne Plaza Liverpool
Thursday 23 April. Tickets are £35 per person.
For further information please contact
| Attention all Trainees!
You will hopefully be aware of the recent JSC Workforce Planning document. The Report predicts an excess of CCT holders over consultant vacancies in the next 5-7 years, but many of the assumptions used in the model are estimates that may be incorrect. We desperately need accurate information from all trainees about job plans and career intentions and their future aspirations and predicted working patterns. The JSC Workforce Group in collaboration with JCRPTB sent a census to all registered trainees to the email address held by them. After 2 months less than half of all trainees have responded. PLEASE PLEASE respond if you haven't already.
Click here to respond now!.
We desperately need these data to help you all to get jobs and to plan for the appropriate number of future trainees.
| CKD eGuide
The CKD eGuide on our website draws about 500 visitors per day, so it is one of its major attractions. It provides concise guidance for GPs and others on eGFR, primary care management and when to refer, and it's not a bad (and free) way for trainees to revise or learn about guidance too. It was revised to be NICE and SIGN friendly in January 2009 and you can read more about it here
The quick way to refer GPs to it on the phone is to quote www.renal.org/ckd We're keen to receive feedback. | CPG Guideline modules
Blood Borne Virus Infection in the Renal Unit - Click here
Request for feedback please send feedback on the draft clinical practice guideline on Blood Borne Virus Infection in the Renal Unit to colin.geddes@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
Peritoneal Access - Click here
Request for feedback please send feedback on the draft clinical practice guideline on Peritoneal Access to martin.wilkie@sth.nhs.uk
The guidelines page has been expanded to provide a user friendly format with separate pages for current, future, associated/endorsed and historic RA clinical practice guidelines.
| Renal Scientist Newsletter Sample Preservation - urine
Urine is a great way of obtaining information about someone in a non-invasive manner and with regularity. Obviously there are a number of factors which need to be considered before approaching collection, which includes accounting for renal function itself. With that said though this can be a valuable source of, for example, biomarkers. Below are discussed some issues that need to be thought about with regard to collection, processing and storage of samples, some of which echo my last article.
Type of collection - will you need a random specimen, first morning specimen, midstream clean catch, timed collection, catheter collection, suprapubic aspiration or is it a paediatric specimen? These parameters will dictate analyte concentrations, cellular content, sterility and diurnal variation.
Timing and Handling - are you looking for something that is expressed at a particular time of day, e.g. hormones? Read more | Working Party
The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy is setting up a working party on therapeutic monitoring of Aminoglycosides and Vancomycin. They are looking for a renal physician to sit on the group and have asked for self-nominations from members of the Renal Association. If you think you might be interested, please contact Alasdair.McGowan@nbt.nhs.uk | NSF Headlines March 2009 : Working for better kidney care
NHS Kidney Care launched care plans for people with advanced CKD, receiving dialysis, with a transplant or on a conservative kidney care pathway. They will be available to all kidney patients and all kidney units shortly. For more information please click here.
See Kidney Care Matters for a round up of events to mark World Kidney Day in 2009.
ACR day approaches fast click here for details.
If you have comments, suggestions or would like to be involved contact Donal on donal.o'donoghue@srft.nhs.uk
| | Green Nephrology Fellowship NHS Kidney Care is funding an innovative one-year "green nephrology fellowship" to examine ways to improve the environmental sustainability of kidney care. The fellowship is the first of its kind and is being supported by the Renal Association, the British Renal Society and the NHS Sustainable Development Unit. The aim is to focus on clinical systems improvement to improve both environmental impacts and quality of care.
Closing date: 6 April 2009
The full details can be found at by clicking here | Cystic Kidney Disease and the Role of the
Primary Cilium
Renal Association/European Society for Paediatric Nephrology Joint Meeting 3rd Sept 2009
University of Birmingham, UK
Abstract submission deadline has been extended to 7 April 2009, 00:00 BST
Primary cilia are evolutionarily conserved organelles of uncertain function which were first described in 1898. Almost every cell in the body carries a primary cilium. In the past ten years, abnormalities of the primary cilium have been associated with several important diseases affecting the kidney including polycystic kidney disease, nephronopthisis, Meckel's syndrome and Bardet-Biedl Syndrome. These ciliopathies have in turn led to new insights into the functions of the primary cilium and its related organelle, the centrosome or basal body.
This one-day meeting will highlight and summarise for the practising clinician the major scientific advances in this rapidly changing field as well as the exciting therapeutic and diagnostic advances in the management of cystic kidney diseases. Click here to see a full list of speakers.
Early bird registration: 2 May 2009
Click here to visit the ESPN 2009 website
The meeting has been approved for CPD accreditation.
| ESPN 2009
The Young Nephrologists' Symposium
Wednesday 2nd September 2009, University of Birmingham, UK.
This one day educational satellite meeting will have two main topics: Renal Transplantation and Adolescent Transition.
The symposium is aimed to attract Paediatric and Adult nephrology trainees and recently appointed Consultant Nephrologists from around Europe. Delegates are invited to submit case studies which, if successful, will be presented orally at the meeting. Small bursaries will also be available to delegates from Lower Income economy countries.
To see a copy of the programme click here
For more information on the course click here
| NCEPOD
NCEPOD is about to publish a report investigating the care of patients who died in hospital with Acute Kidney Injury. This report, which was proposed by the Renal Association and undertaken with our full support, is to be launched at a meeting in London on Thursday 11th June 2009. For details of this meeting please click here or, to view the course flyer please click here
At this stage the findings remain confidential but clearly could have major implications for the practice of nephrology and service models for treating AKI within the UK.
The treatment of AKI was highlighted as one of the Quality Requirements in Part 2 of the renal NSF; to address this, the Renal Association is working collaboratively with other relevant specialist societies to look at ways of improving the care of patients with AKI within the UK. This work is being led for the Renal Association by Dr Andrew Lewington. More details about this work will be circulated in due course.
Kevin Harris
Clinical Vice President
| DIALYSIS 2009 - Update DX09
10-12 June 2009
The management of end stage renal failure by dialysis forms a central component of all renal units. However, it is often the least intensively taught component of nephrology training. The aim of this intensive course is to provide a thorough introduction to dialysis, from basics to new developments.
The invited expert faculty will provide comprehensive coverage of all aspects of dialysis and ESRF through a mixture of informal lectures and workshops. The course is aimed at Specialist Registrars in nephrology, but will also be of interest to other health care professionals involved in the management of patients with chronic renal failure.
Further information | Renal Physiology for the Clinician - 6-8 May 2009 The Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust, Pond Street, London Fluids, electrolytes and acid-base
All you need to know about fluid and electrolyte balance, but were too puzzled to ask!
This course aims to integrate physiological principles with day-to-day clinical practice. It will feature formal, introductory lectures each day, and clinical case-based and interactive discussions with our faculty designed to illustrate and build upon the day's presentations.
It is intended for Specialist Registrars in Nephrology, and will also be of interest to more senior General (Internal) Medicine SPRs and SPRs in Intensive Care Medicine. Consultant Nephrologists and General Physicians with an interest in fluid and electrolyte disorders are welcome to attend as a "refresher" course. Further information | Supportive Care for the Renal Patient 2009
6-7 July 2009 Hammersmith Conference Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, London
To view the programme and to register please click here.
| MEDICAL DEVICE ALERT
DEVICE:
Aquarius haemofiltration machine.
Software versions 4.01.11, 4.01.12 and 6.01.
Manufactured by Edwards Lifesciences Ltd
Click here for details
| Member Suggestion Box If you have any ideas or would like to include an article or event in eNews, please contact the Renal Association Secretariat on 0845 1800 484 or renalenews@mci-group.com. | | | | | | |