Impact Review 2024-25: Kidney Disease HIT

The Kidney Disease Health Integration Team (HIT) are committed to improving access to screening and monitoring for kidney disease as well as ensuring more equitable access to key disease-modifying therapies across the region, aiming to reduce the number of people progressing to need dialysis or a kidney transplant. Here are some of the highlights from the HIT in 2024-25.

19th July 2025

Introducing national genetic test to reduce risk of donor kidney failure

In April 2024, NHS testing for APOL1 high-risk variants for kidney disease began to be offered to potential living kidney donors. After a programme of work led by HIT members Pippa Bailey and Primrose Granville, and the creation of national guidelines for testing, NHS England approved the addition of APOL1 testing to the National Genomics Test Directory.

Testing enables better personalized counselling regarding the risks of kidney donation and allows those higher risk for kidney failure to be identified so that they can avoid the additional risk of donation. The availability of testing means that poor outcomes after kidney donation, that disproportionately affect donors with Black African or Caribbean heritage, can be avoided.

Pippa presented lessons learned from this work at Bristol Health Partners conference in November 2024, and a media announcement was made by NHS England in January 2025.

Appointing renal social worker at North Bristol NHS Trust – two-year post

North Bristol NHS Trust approved funding for a Renal Social Worker, following a business case submission with input from BAKPA and from HIT public contributors. The two-year post will provide much needed psychosocial support to patients with kidney disease.

Welcoming a new leadership team

Dr Dominic Taylor and Dr Pippa Bailey stepped down as co-directors in 2025. Three new co-directors have been appointed:

Dr Lucy Plumb NIHR Consultant Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol and consultant in paediatric nephrology at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.
Dr Barny Hole, NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer at the University of Bristol and senior resident doctor in adult kidney medicine, North Bristol NHS Trust
Ms Sara Perkins, highly-specialised renal pharmacist – adult renal service, North Bristol NHS Trust

The new team widens the scope of the HIT, with representation across adult and children’s kidney care, the university, clinical services and the allied healthcare profession.

Funding enabled in 2024-25

The Kidney Disease HIT helped secure £107,982 in 2024-25 for projects to generate research evidence, improve outcomes and address health inequalities in the region.