Implementing a programme of shared haemodialysis care Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Renal failure has a major impact on quality of life and survival. Most dialysis patients spend many hours every week in hospital, but are passive recipients of their care, engaging little with their own treatment.

Shared haemodialysis care is when patients at dialysis units are supported to be involved in their own treatment, undertaking as many tasks as they feel able to. This enhanced person-centred care improves the experience of those who choose to dialyse at hospital, and gives more patients the confidence to choose home dialysis, leading to a better quality of life.

This project involved scaling up an established regional quality improvement intervention led by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It extended the benefits of shared haemodialysis care to around 2,000 patients at 19 trusts. 

Patients are supported to participate in their care, creating a facilitative environment underpinned by specific nurse and patient training, and using supportive materials (for example, patient training competency books, leaflets, posters and newsletters). 

Twelve learning events were held, involving 120 staff members and 13 patients. Tools such as a roadmap, toolkit, sustainability plans and a website have also been developed.

Key to the project was bringing together different trusts in quality improvement collaborative workshops, a strong core team, robust independent evaluation, an effective programme framework, and the growing importance of person centred care. Challenges included establishing formal research protocols and understanding why some trusts found engagement more difficult than others.

The learning from this programme will be used to tailor the methods used to promote shared care in other centres and help more people to access opportunities for better health through supported self-care.