Published on: 30 December 2024
A digital drive to help kidney patients get online to help improve their health through information is now live.
A team effort has seen the project launch within the Renal Unit at Sunderland Royal Hospital, with four patients the first to be given their own tablet to take home.
They will be able to use the tablet and its data plan to access information about their health, as well as get online to shop, be entertained, learn and connect with their loved ones.
Other tablets will be used within the unit itself, allowing patients undergoing treatment to read up on information to help them keep well and more.
This will include people who are having haemodialysis. This is where patients who have kidney failure have their blood filtered of waste, toxins and extra fluid. Sessions often take hours to complete and people attend several times a week for their treatment.
The project is aimed at helping people who do not already have access to a device to get online easily. The communities supported by the Trust are among those who face the greatest health inequalities in the country.
In addition to providing the tech, the work is also aimed at giving patients the confidence and skills to use digital tools, while offering them easy-to-use platforms with accessible information.
A new hub has been set up on this website with the portal set up as the landing page for the tablets.
The hub hosts information on home therapies, in-patient care, the process involved in a kidney transplant, and advice to live with kidney disease.
It also gives details about the Trust’s Department of Interventional Nephrology. This team carries out procedures to help treat patients, biopsies and scans.
It is also home to patient experience and information, details of clinics and a library of videos, along with a rundown of how to contact the team.
The content was put together by the Trust’s Renal experts, Communications and Engagement Team and IT Department.
The pilot has seen Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria (HI NENC) secure the funding to cover the cost of the technology, with support also given by the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, Ability Net, The Good Things Foundation and Sunderland City Council.
The project was set up after Dr Mustafa Javaid and Clinical Director Sid Ahmed worked together on a study which looked into how much access patients had to getting online with the aim to reducing the digital divide. It won national recognition by winning the best poster prize in the CKD category at the UK Kidney Week conference 2023 in Newport, Wales.
Consultant Sam Duffy then helped pull together the content to add to the hub.
Dr Javaid said:
"We hope the launch of the pilot will signal the start of a much bigger project to help our patients access information which will help them keep well, feel good and live longer.
"Education is such a key part of care for renal patients and we’re so pleased our Trust teams and all the organisations involved have been on board with this project.
"We are united in our ultimate goal of reducing health inequalities in our communities and we want to thank all those involved in making this work possible."
Arthur Carter, 70, from Consett, is one of the first four patients to benefit with their own tablet.
Patient Arthur Carter is shown how to use his new tablet with help from Dr Mennatalla Ayyad.
He is looking forward to video calling relatives who live abroad and more.
He said:
"It will make a massive difference, I’ve never had anything to do with digital before, I’ve still got a Nokia brick phone.
"Hopefully this will bring me into the modern age. I hope it will make a difference to my health, but now I need to learn how."
Leanne Maitland is Digital Transformation Project Support Officer for HI NENC.
Leanne Maitland, Digital Transformation Project Support Officer for HI NENC, with one of the tablets handed to patients.
She added:
"Without these digital essentials, vulnerable individuals risk being left behind, worsening existing health inequalities.
"To tackle this issue local organisations have come together to steer this pilot, giving patients the tools they need to access health services and information online.
"This pilot is part of a broader vision to create a regional public sector digital hub in the North East and North Cumbria.
"The hub aims to repurpose donated technology from public sector partners, reducing waste, supporting sustainability, and contributing to Net Zero goals.
"It’s a win-win initiative, improving healthcare access while promoting corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability."
Everyone can access the new information portal – click here to find the Renal medicine hub.
