Welcome to the Hammersmith Hospital Kidney Patients' Association (HHKPA) website. We are a charity run by kidney patients, their families, friends and carers, and the staff of the Hammersmith Hospital Renal Unit.

HHKPA was set up in 1978 and is run by people on dialysis, transplant recipients, carers and renal staff. All patients under the care of Hammersmith Hospital are automatically members of the association and receive benefits such as the National Kidney Federation quarterly magazine 'Kidney Life'.
HHKPA aims to:

• Provide information and support to people with renal failure, their families and carers.
• Improve medical facilities
• Support national renal organisations
• Raise public awareness about renal issues

Why our work is important
Hammersmith Hospital currently treats 800 people with kidney failure.

Kidney failure can be treated very effectively but it can have a great impact on a person's lifestyle and some people may need support if, for example, their careers have been affected.

The number of people with kidney failure at Hammersmith Hospital is projected to rise by 15% per annum over the next 5 years. This, together with the national increasing demand for renal services, means that HHKPA considers raising awareness of renal issues a high priority. We aim to do this both at a local and national level and are always looking for help.

What we do

• Provide information through our tri-annual newsletter to all members
• Subsidise the quarterly National Kidney Federation's (NKF) 'Kidney Life' for all members
• Purchase medical and non-medical equipment for the renal unit
• Provide welfare grants to individual members
• Work closely with hospital staff and management to improve hospital conditions for people on dialysis and with transplants
• Promote the NHS Organ Donor Register and Donor Card
• Support the British Transplant Games
• Participate at the National Kidney Federation's annual conference
  

Examples of recent work we have been involved in:
Raising awareness through radio interviews and information displays to West London's Asian community; distribution of donor cards at local football matches

Representing patient interests in the recent reorganisation of renal services in West London

Purchasing equipment including: individual television and headsets for satellite dialysis units; and furniture and information boards for the transplant outpatients' waiting room

How you can help

• Through volunteering
  Become an occasional volunteer. We need volunteers to help with mailing out the newsletter and help with our events.
• By fundraising
  Organise your own sponsored event for HHKPA. Events can be as large or small as you want and raise a little or lots of money!
• Becoming a committee member
  The committee meets once every four to eight weeks. Come and meet us. We always need new members.

The HHKPA Committee Officers
		Dr. Elaine J Clutterbuck MBChB,FRCP, PhD President Elaine is a renal consultant at Hammersmith Hospital.
		Sharman Maxwell Chairperson My name is Sharman Maxwell, I had a transplant in April 2003 due to Polycystic Kidney Disease. I have two sons, one who also has P.C.K.D. I joined the Kidney Patients' Association to give something back for all the help I had received from the doctors and staff at Hammersmith Hospital.
		Louisa O'Leary Secretary
For more information on HHKPA or to find out how you can help, please contact: Sharman Maxwell (Chairperson)   Tel: 020 8797 1983   Email: sharman.max@hotmail.co.uk