The patient voice in renal care

It is a time for radical change in the approach to renal care, Ms Carol Moore, Chief Executive Officer, Irish Kidney Association (IKA), told the Irish Nephrology Society Winter Meeting 2026.

In a presentation about the work of the IKA and its future vision for renal care in Ireland, Ms Moore outlined proposals to improve clinical outcomes for patients.

She highlighted a number of systemic barriers, including the lack of national clinical models and standards, an “implementation deficit disorder” in the roll-out of recommended changes, inadequate transplant structures, and dialysis constraints and rationing, among other barriers.

The IKA National Kidney Support Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, is due to re-open soon following major refurbishment and will be “much more than just a residential centre”, Ms Moore said, adding it would also serve as a community hub for patients.

She called on clinicians to urgently make referrals to the IKA’s peer support service in order to keep the service in operation and called for enhanced campaigning, education, and awareness around kidney disease.

Ms Moore noted the campaign in Australia to “end dialysis by 2050”, which focuses on better management and early detection of chronic kidney disease.

She argued for the need to improve efforts around the prevention and management of renal disease in Ireland through an “agreed vision and priorities of where we need to go” in order to help “rewrite the narrative” around kidney disease.