A public health emergency.

Early in June, we published a major new report into the economics of kidney disease, setting out the picture in the UK now and what it might be in 2033. Leading academics, clinicians, data experts and patients were all involved, providing challenge and insight to ensure we achieved a robust and credible report.

Starting out with the simple working title of Health Economics Report, it eventually came to be titled KidneyDisease:AUKPublic HealthEmergency – for good reason. The report was independently produced by health economics specialists and the result sets out the numbers in stark terms, giving a glimpse into what the future could be unless action is taken.

Today in the UK, there are approximately 3.25 million people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3-5, with a further 3.9 million estimated to have CKD stages 1-2. This is more than 10% of the UK population.

By 2033 it is predicted the number of people at stages 3-5 will rise to 3.9 million and a total of 7.61 million people will have some form of chronic kidney disease.

The report also found that kidney disease costs the UK economy £7 billion a year, with £6.4 billion being direct costs to the NHS – that’s 3.2% of NHS budgets. Using predictive modelling, we now know those numbers could reach as much as £13.9 billion and £10.9 billion respectively by 2033.

More than ever, this report makes clear the need for earlier detection and prevention.