More than 60,000 people living with chronic kidney disease will be offered fuel poverty support and other targeted help through a new partnership launched between National Grid Electricity Distribution and Kidney Care UK.
The UK’s leading kidney patient support charity will help kidney patients and those with kidney failure not only understand what support it can offer but also help them sign-up to the electricity distribution company’s Priority Services Register (PSR).
Patients at drop-in clinics at renal units and kidney clinics in Birmingham and Lincolnshire will be given information packs and told about how the PSR can provide assistance during power cuts, fuel poverty support and energy efficiency advice. The PSR is free to join for a range of people with additional needs, including those with chronic medical conditions, pensioners and those who rely on electricity to run medical equipment.
Kidney Care UK’s patient support services include free renal counselling, patient advocacy support in the community through 19 Advocacy Officers throughout the UK, hardship grants, holiday grants, hospital grants, and white goods grants. The charity also provides benefit application support as well as income maximisation and money and energy advice.
As well as boosting referrals of patients, Kidney Care UK will provide bespoke training for National Grid field and contact centre teams who support customers during power cuts – ensuring they can best understand and support the needs of kidney patients.
Nicki Johnson, of National Grid Electricity Distribution, said: “We are delighted to be joining forces with Kidney Care UK. This partnership will enable us to reach more patients with kidney disease so they can benefit from our Priority Services Register and the additional free support this provides for people with extra needs.”
Laurie Cuthbert, Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Communications at Kidney Care UK, said: “This is an exciting relationship to transform the support that our kidney community will receive. We are pleased to be working in partnership to help support more than 60,000 people living with chronic kidney disease to enable them to receive support appropriate to their condition.
“The partnership will allow Kidney Care UK and National Grid to raise greater awareness of chronic kidney disease more generally and will be supported by bespoke training for field and contact centre teams who support customers during power cuts, ensuring they can best understand and support the needs of kidney patients.”
This partnership is the latest in 19 collaborative relationships Kidney Care UK has developed in response to the cost of living crisis, ensuring that thousands of people with kidney disease are aware of, and can directly benefit from, the support of the charity. These partnerships also help the energy and utility sector to understand and appreciate the disproportionate impact that rising living costs is having on their customers in the kidney community.
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