A new website which aims to encourage more people – especially those from ethnically diverse communities – to consider donating a kidney, has been launched by Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
More than a third of those waiting for a kidney transplant in the city are from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Generally, these patients wait significantly longer for a kidney transplant than white patients and many will die waiting.
The Trust’s new ‘Live Kidney Donor’ website supports the alternative of living kidney donation where a healthy person (donor) chooses to give one of their kidneys to someone who needs it (the recipient). The website includes powerful testimonies of individuals who have benevolently given the ‘gift of life’ and provides helpful information and advice for those who may be considering donation.
Renal Specialty Lead, Dr John Stoves, said:
People from black and Asian communities are more likely to have medical conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, which can lead to the development of kidney disease and the need for kidney transplantation.
The best match for kidney transplantation is often from a donor with the same ethnic background. It can be a long wait for a suitable kidney transplant on the national waiting list, and we can therefore help our patients by supporting anyone who wishes to come forward and be assess for living donation.
The new living donation website allows potential donors in Bradford to access information about kidney donation in an innovative way, with the help of avatars and a language translation tool.
The videos, presented by four of the Trust’s living kidney donors, address questions that are often asked: ‘Who can I donate to?’ ‘What’s it like to donate?’ ‘How do you feel after?’
The new site provides further advice on the service offered to living donors by the Trust and explains how donors will be cared for before and after their donation.
It also includes videos presented by the Living Kidney Donor Transplant Co-ordinator, Michael Speight, who is the main point-of-contact for the scheme.
Michael is based at St. Luke’s Hospital where the Trust’s renal dialysis unit is also located.
The first step in the process is for the potential donor to contact Michael who will discuss the reasons for wishing to donate and to explain the assessment process.
Michael can answer questions on areas such as: ‘Will I always have to take medication afterwards?’ ‘Can I still exercise and enjoy sports in the same way that I used to?’ and ‘What financial support is available?’
Michael stated:
We developed the website to give people in the Bradford district the facts about the renal live donor scheme which are easy to understand and to provide information about how to come forward for testing to see if you are interested in donating a kidney to either a family member or a member of your own community.
Here at St. Luke’s Hospital we are passionate about helping patients who are waiting for a transplant due to kidney disease as they currently have dialysis three times a week which is gruelling and affects all aspects of their and their families’ lives.
Most of us can live with one kidney, so if you are interested in doing something altruistic, please contact us to discuss the scheme. Kidney disease can affect anyone, so this website is for everyone who may be intrigued about helping others less fortunate than themselves.
The website also has videos from Dr Stoves and Cultural and Health Improvement Officer, Tahira Mir, who explains the advantages of live donor donation for patients.
Tahira added:
Organ donation is the gift of life and donating your kidney is a life-changing event for the person who is waiting for a kidney transplant. Donors have told me that the feeling of being able to help save another life is so rewarding and uplifting.
People from all walks of life and communities can need a kidney transplant. It is really important that people from all our different communities come forward as kidney donors and help save lives. This is of particular relevance for our south Asian community.
People from a south Asian background usually have to wait longer for a kidney transplant because it is harder to get a good match from a different ethnic group. This is why it is so important for people from the south Asian community to come forward as kidney donors.
If you want to know more about living kidney donation, visit the information site at Live kidney donors – Bradford Teaching Hospitals (bradfordhospitals.nhs.uk) or contact Michael on mobile 07507 870 483 or email: michaelspeight@nhs.net during office hours.
Across the UK, as of January 5 (latest available statistics from NHS Blood and Transplant) 5,684 people were waiting for a kidney transplant. In Bradford, there were 75 people on the transplant waiting list, 68 of these were waiting for a kidney.