Safety
What scared me the most though was being categorised as extremely vulnerable. I once drove to my local Supermarket, saw the long queues, looked at my mask, and realised how much risk I would be putting myself in joining this band of shoppers, so turned around and went home.
Haemodialysis patient, UK
What measures did you take to improve safety of in- patients and the staff caring for them?
Did you have access to adequate resources to make changes to the workplace?
Did you have concerns about any aspects of patient safety which you could not address? Please share examples and outcomes.
Maintaining the health, well-being and safety of kidney patients and the staff who care for them during the COVID-19 pandemic has been crucial and very challenging. Many people with kidney disease were advised to shield and did not leave their homes for 3 months or more. Others had to attend for life-sustaining treatment such as haemodialysis and continue to travel and be exposed to others.
Renal units put in place measures to enhance the safety of patients and staff, resulting in changes to services, ways of working and the environment, which remain under review as we learn and prepare for the future. Recognised and unintended consequences of these changes continue to have an impact every day in every unit.
The KQuIP COVID-19 shared learning hub aims to capture the learning and experiences of renal units in the UK and share them widely across the renal community. Elements of patient safety feature strongly in most aspects of kidney care and we are keen to hear about patient and staff safety concerns and issues in your unit during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how you overcame these.
Add your voice to this learning community!
Be it a personal reflection, an innovation you are proud of or something you have learnt, get in touch by completing this short and easy form, or email your story in your own words to kquip@renalregistry.nhs.uk.
Shared learning
- COVID-19 Haemodialysis: Ensuring Patient Safety Group
- Installing social distancing screens, Tracey Murphy, Assistant Director of Nursing, Salford Royal Hospital
- Standard Operating Procedure, North West Hospital Onset COVID-19 Infection