Website of the Department of Health

The NSF for Renal Services: An Implementation Toolkit for Commissioners based upon best practice

The vision for a renal commissioning toolkit initially came from The Royal College of Physicians (London) and the Renal Association Joint Speciality Committee for Renal Medicine. Subsequent discussions with the Department of Health identified a need to support commissioners with a practical toolkit to address the NSF for Renal Services, Part One (Dialysis and Transplantation).

A Development Group with representation from a range of specialised commissioners, public health and renal network leads and supported by a patient advocate, national clinical leaders and the Department of Health Teams prepared the toolkit.

The Toolkit aims to give practical advice and guidance primarily to commissioners and provides source documentation references.

The Toolkit Development Group would welcome feedback on the document including whether additional guidance would be helpful.

To send feedback or for further information, please contact either:

Jenny Scott
Head of Specialised Commissioning
Cheshire and Merseyside Specialised Commissioning Team

Dr Paul Stevens
Clinical Director of Renal Medicine,
East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust

• Email Jenny Scott: jenny.scott@cwpct.nhs.uk (opens new window)
• Email Paul Stevens: paul.stevens@ekht.nhs.uk (opens new window)
• The National Service Framework for Renal Services Part 1: Dialysis and transplantation - Implementation toolkit for commissioners

Renal services information implementation strategy

The Information Strategy is in two parts, to support Part One of the NSF on dialysis and transplantation, and Part Two of the NSF on chronic kidney disease, acute renal failure and end of life care.  The strategy consists of a series of tables containing National and related Local Actions. Each action, where appropriate, is linked to further information that explains the background to and the reasoning behind the action.

• Renal services information strategy for Part One, on dialysis and transplantation
• Renal services information strategy for Part Two, on chronic kidney disease, acute renal failure and end of life care

Modernising Services for Renal Patients: Redesigning the workforce and re-engineering elective dialysis access surgery

Published: 8 July 2004

This report is intended to be a practical resource for renal services.  Two project teams set out to map the renal patient pathway; develop and test new ways of working to improve the delivery of vascular access surgery, and facilitate effective renal workforce planning.  The NHS Modernisation Agency,  commissioned by the Department of Health, worked with NHS front-line staff at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital NHSFT and University Hospital Birmingham NHSFT.

In this report the two project teams make available to the renal community both the outcome of their work and also the tools and techniques they found of value.  Their approach to problem solving, and the processes and resources they developed and used, can be adapted by other renal services to suit their own local circumstances, and used to bring about similar improvements in the quality of care, particularly in the delivery of vascular access surgery. 

• Modernising services for renal patients

Temporary haemodialysis away from home

It is made clear in Part One of the National Service Framework for Renal Services that 'For a variety of reasons - work, education, holidays, family visits - it is important that patients can dialyse away from home.' Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and NHS Trusts are encouraged to develop agreed local policies for temporary haemodialysis away from home, which will ensure equity while minimising the impact of renal failure on patients' mobility. Such policies will need to operate within the framework of the arrangements summarised here.

• Temporary haemodialysis away from home: funding arrangements for NHS patients resident in England

Renal-specific management of medicines

Links to the document and its component chapters, which offer a resource on the specific medicines management issues relating to the treatment of people with renal disease.

• Renal Specific Management of Medicines

Management of Medicines: A resource to support implementation of the wider aspects of medicines management for the NSFs for Diabetes, Renal Services and Long-Term Conditions

Links to the document, which offers a resource for organisations to implement the medicines management aspects of the three NSFs - diabetes, renal and LTCs. It also provides examples of innovative practice which PCTs and NHS Trusts may want to implement.

• Generic Management of Medicines

The Final Regulatory Impact Assessment for the NSF for Renal Services, Part Two

This document provides an assessment of the impact on the current NHS workforce of various implementation options

• Download The Final Regulatory Impact Assessment for the NSF for Renal Services, Part Two (PDF, 417K)