We provide a comprehensive regional children’s kidney disease (nephrology) service for the North East and North Cumbria.
One of only thirteen specially designated centres for children’s nephrology in the UK, we look after children from childbirth up to the age of 18 years.
Our service is mainly led by consultants and specialist nurses who are specially trained to be able to diagnose and treat acute kidney injury (sudden kidney failure), as well chronic kidney disease (long term kidney failure).
We provide dialysis, kidney transplantation – both living donor and deceased donors, complicated nephritis and nephrotic syndromes and complex urinary tract infection, haematuria (blood in urine), hypertension (high blood pressure).
Watch our short video which shows how we measure blood pressure
The team is able to carry out kidney biopsies, plasma exchange and antibody removal.
We also work closely with our obstetric colleagues to help with the care and treatment of babies diagnosed with kidney abnormalities during pregnancy.
Our service
Our dynamic and highly skilled team are passionate about delivering excellent child and family-centred specialist care as close to home as possible.
This is made possible through a named specialist nurse system for children with significant kidney disease.
Children and young people are reviewed in clinic when they need to be. We are able to do this remotely using technology when possible.
When children need to stay in hospital because of their kidneys, they usually stay on Ward 1a at the Great North Children’s Hospital.
Children who need dialysis treatment receive this either at home or in our dedicated children and young people’s dialysis unit on Ward 7. We also use ward 7 as a small out-patient clinic and day case area.
Who we work with
Children with kidney disease often need help from other teams in the hospital. We work closely with our colleagues in children’s urology (children’s kidney and bladder surgery) and radiology (for scans, x-rays and other tests) as well as the children’s intensive care unit.
We work in partnership with the Institute of Transplantation at the Freeman Hospital to ensure our kidney transplant patients receive the best possible care.
We also help children under the care of other teams in the hospital who may develop problems with their kidneys during their illness and treatment. This includes the Children’s Heart Unit, Children’s Cancer and Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) teams.
Better care
We are always seeking to improve the care we deliver and have an active Quality Improvement programme.
This programme is carried out both locally and together with all the other paediatric nephrology services around the UK.
We are passionate about clinical research, looking for new ways to treat kidney disease in children and are proud to be a training centre for future paediatric nephrologists.
Contact
For more information about our service, please contact us:
Telephone: 0191 28 24076
