EDKPA Newsletter Spring 2020 - EDKPA Exeter & District Kidney … · and the NHS website (nhs.uk)....

EDKPA Newsletter – Spring 2020 edition

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Autumn 2020 editionIn this edition . . .Editorial 2You write . . . 4Sources of Advice for EDKPA 5Some Useful Information 6Kidney Kitchen 8Organ Donation Update 9UK Kidney Week 9NKF Webinar 10Young Adult Clinic Update 10Renal Lifestyle Programme 10Renal Unit Services 12Newsletter Photo Competition 13My Care: RD&E’s New Programme 14Twenty things to set you thinking 16Hospital Humour 18Countries of the World Quiz 19Need support? 20What does the EDKPA do for you? 21Join us! 23Your EDKPA ~ who are we? 24

Autumn leaves adorninga Devon roadside

Visit our website athttp://www.edkpa.org.uk

The EDKPA newsletter is provided by Exeter and District Kidney Patients and its

members. It is for information purposes only. It should not be a substitute for

professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis or treatment.

Exeter and District Kidney Patients’ Association

When blades of grass are turning brown

And autumn leaves come floating down.

I dance with them on lawn and street

And scuffle through them with my feet.HELEN BARCLAY

➙

%23Editorial

%23Editorial

http://www.edkpa.org.uk


Hello and welcome to our Autumn Newsletter.

I have temporarily taken over the editor’s rolefrom Nick Wood as he has unfortunately been unavailable. Hopefully he will be back for our Christmas edition, due out in December.

And yes, we are still living through extraordinary times! Much has changed since March and we’ve

all had to adapt to our new environment. Since 1st August shielding has been paused and this has, if anything, made things more dif!cult. Is it safe to go to the supermarket? Can I go back to work? Should I send the children to school? It was all so simple when the advice was just to stay at home. But now we all have to make dif!cult decisions on a daily basis.

Of course everyone will feel differently about their risk levels and will have different priorities. As ever it’s important to get advice and stay informed ~ especially as the advice seems to be constantly changing! Ask your medical team of course, but if you’re just looking for a list of do’s and dont’s then I suggest you head for the FAQ page in the coronavirus section of the Gov.uk website. Otherwise the best place to look remains the Kidney Care website. Both these sites are regularly updated with the latest rules and up to date advice. Or if you haven’t got access to the internet or want to speak to someone in person, the NKF helpline [tel. 0800 169 0936] is the best place to go.

If, like me, you’re still nervous about going out, I know that a lotof people have felt more con!dent wearing a social distancing lanyard. These can be obtained from the NKF shop (on line or at the telephone number above) and cost £1.00 plus p&p. These have been designed in bright yellow to let members of the public know that the person wearing it is highly vulnerable and to be considerate with social distancing. You can also clip a small hand sanitizer on as well if you want to. They’ve already sold over 15,000, so they’ve proved to be very popular. Whilst you’re at the

EDKPA Newsletter – Autumn 2020 edition

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Editorial

shop you can also purchase the latest NKF cookbook, T-shirts, calendars, Christmas cards etc.

On another note, I am pleased to con!rm that we have a new treasurer after our long-standing treasurer Mark Harrison retired. He is Ken Battishill and he has kindly volunteered to take on the role. The committee has approved. We would normally have asked for formal approval from our members at the AGM (in accordance with our constitution), but because we have had to cancel it this year it will have to be done at our next AGM, which hopefully will be next year. In the meantime, Ken will be “acting treasurer” and will attend our regular committee meetings as such.

In this edition we have introduced a Letters page. This is your opportunity to write to us on any topic that you think may be of interest to our members or that we may be able to do something about. So please do feel free to write to us and let us have your views. Tell us what we’re getting right. Or let us know how we can improve and what you would like to see in the next edition.We look forward to hearing from you.

I hope that you will all !nd something of interest in this edition, which includes the usual mix of local news, recipes, quizzes, jokes and information. As we all start to venture out more, it is even more important for us to stick to the social distancing guidelines and in particular to keep washing your hands!

George Palmer, Chairman

P.S. ~ Don't forget to check out our competition on page 13 for the opportunity to provide the photo for the cover of the next edition of our Newsletter. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!


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The next Newsletter is the Winter edition, to be published on Thursday 10th December.

The closing date for copy is Monday 30th November. Please ensure that contributions (articles, photos etc.) for publication are received by then.

Dear George,That is a great Newsletter [Summer 2020]. I had a few ‘laugh out louds’!

Mickie Dicks (senior nurse for Renal services)

Dear George,I loved reading Jean’s article in the Summer Newsletter about home dialysis in the 1970s. I can’t believe how hard it must have been ~ not to mention the necessity of having a large garden to !t in the Portacabin! Well done Jean and I hope you can continue in your role as secretaryfor many years to come. (Name and address supplied)

Dear George,I would just like to say that I rang the National Kidney Federation Helpline the other day to !nd out a bit more about my condition. The person I spoke to was extremely helpful in explaining things and then sent me some information lea"ets which explained things further. I think I now know much more about my particular illness and would recommend contacting the NKF. (Name and address supplied)

Dear George,Has anyone noticed how many masks and other PPE equipment have been discarded outside our hospitals? I was very disappointed to !nd large amounts of the stuff being blown around in the wind outside Heavitree Hospital the other day. So I decided to do something about it and I contacted my local MP, Ben Bradshaw, and my local DCC councillor, Percy Prowse. Within a few days it had mostly been cleared up, much to my relief, as I believe such waste is potentially a very big health hazard.I guess most people don’t throw these things away deliberately as I suspect that they are taken out of bins by gulls looking for food or simply blown out when the bins get too full ~ but nevertheless it remains a potentially dangerous eyesore. Complaining to the right people does sometimes bring results! (Name and address supplied)


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You write . . .

Your opinions and views are important to us and contributions to our Newsletter are very welcome. Please use email where possible and send to: [email protected]

or you can post your contributions to our secretary Jean Aplin at 13 Crowden Crescent, Tiverton,

Devon EX16 4ET.

mailto:[email protected]


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Sources of Advice for members of

Exeter and DistrictKidney Patients’ Association

(EDKPA)

Exeter and District Kidney Patientsʼ Association can offer advice on financial problems and on claiming benefits if your treatment is supervised by the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital Renal Unit. Confidental advice is given over the telephone or face-to-face in central Exeter. But you do need to book first. You can contact our secretary Jean Aplin on 01884 254260 who can talk over how we might be able to help and if appropriate book an appointment for you with Citizens Advice Exeter.

In addition, there are two national organisations that can help all kidney patients.

You can contact Kidney Care UK who povide practical, emotional and financial support on 01420 541424 or visit www.kidneycareuk.org. They provide assistance from a South West based Advocacy Officer who can support you with everything from welfare and benefits to treatment and home dialysis queries. Their other services include financial and holiday grants, Kidney Kitchen recipes and a telephone counselling service for both patients and their families.

The National Kidney Federation has a free helpline on 0800 169 09 36 and offers support, including informative advice leaflets covering all aspects of lfe as a kidney patient.

EDKPA Charity Commission Reg. No 276981

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http://www.kidneycareuk.org

http://www.kidneycareuk.org

Christmas Pantomime 2021Unfortunately this year’s Christmas Pantomime has had to be cancelled because of Covid-19. We suspect that many of you would have been uneasy about attending in any event.Our secretary Jean had reserved tickets for us in the usual way, but she has now received con!rmation from the Theatre Royal Plymouth that our tickets that had been booked for this year have now been transferred to 9th January 2022 for the1 p.m. performance of Aladdin. Something to put in your diary!

Citizens Advice ExeterWe are pleased to con!rm that CAE continue to provide us with a service notwithstanding the pandemic. They have had to make some changes of course ~ so that our dedicated advisor Freya is now working from home and undertaking telephone interviews only.We continue, however, to receive reports from CAE, so we know that Freya is still busy advising our members on a regular basis. Indeed her success rate has been very good, despite the numerous changes that have been made to the bene!ts system as a result of Covid. So if you have an issue with claiming or appealing against a decision relating to any state bene!ts, do please contact our secretary Jean on 01884 254260 or email her on [email protected] and she will !x up an appointment with Freya for you.

ChoctoberThis is a fundraising event organised by the National Kidney Federation which runs for the whole of October ~ during which the NKF ask you to give up chocolate for a whole month! This is because, as many of you will know, many kidney patients are not allowed to eat chocolate at any time of the year. So to highlight kidney disease and to raise valuable funds for the NKF, they are asking as many people as possible to take part.We are therefore including their poster (see opposite page) for the event in this Newsletter which gives details of how to obtain a packso you can take part and how you can set up a JustGiving website page. Everyone who raises funds will receive a certi!cate once they have completed Choctober and the person who raises the most willin addition receive a chocolate hamper!


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Some Useful Information




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This and other great kidney friendly recipes may be found in theKidney Care UK Kidney Kitchen at www.kidneykitchen.org


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INGREDIENTS• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil• 1 large onion• 2 garlic cloves• 1 bay leaf• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme• 2 celery sticks• 500g lean lamb mince• 300g passataMETHOD1. Pre-heat oven to 190°C/gas mark 5. Heat a large non-stick pan over a

medium heat and add the oil. Peel the onion and then dice, along with the celery. Add the onion, celery, crushed garlic, bay leaf and chopped thyme and cook for 6–8 minutes until soft.

2. Add the mince and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon for 5 mins or until browned. Make up the stock using 150ml boiling water. Add the stock, passata, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 25 mins.

3. While the filling is cooking, peel and dice the swede and slice the carrots, adding them to a large saucepan of water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 mins or until soft.

4. Drain, then return to the pan and turn off the heat. Mash the swede and carrot, season with black pepper and set aside.

5. Stir the peas into the filling, then spoon the mixture into a baking dish. Cover evenly with the swede and carrot topping, then grate the parmesan over the top.

6. Bake for 20 mins or until the topping is golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 mins before serving.

Protein: If you have been advised to reduce your protein intake, use a smaller amount of lamb.

Salt: Worcestershire sauce is the main source of salt. You can use Italian herbs instead.

Phosphate/potassium: This meal is high in potassium, so if you’re following a low potassium diet be sure to balance the rest of your meals with low potassium food.

Kidney Kitchen

Shepherd’s Piewith sweded and carrot mash

serves 4

• beef stock cube, low salt• 150ml boiling water• 2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce• 1 small swede (approx 450g)• 375g carrots• 150g frozen peas• 25g parmesan cheese

http://www.kidneykitchen.org/

http://www.kidneykitchen.org/

Don’t forget that if you’re shopping on Amazon and haven’t already done so, you can nominate the National Kidney Federation or any other charity of your choice at no extra cost to you. Amazon will make the donation for you out of their own funds based on the amount you spend. Just go to smile.amazon.co.uk to select the charity of your choice and start shopping. For any future shopping you do on Amazon just make sure you do it through Amazon Smile.

As most of you will know, the law around organ donation changed in May of this year. This means that for most people it will be assumed thatthey wish their organs to be donated for transplantation unless they speci!cally opt out. This change of course happened during lockdown,so it didn’t get the publicity that it would otherwise have got. A big advertising campaign is being planned as soon as it is felt appropriate. Organ donation week took place during the week commencing 7th September which focused on these changes.The pandemic has of course had its effect on transplant operations. Most kidney transplants stopped for a time as it was considered to be just too dangerous for patients. As a result the transplant waiting list (for all organs) has increased to a !ve-year high. Most transplant units are up and running again, but it is anticipated that numbers may still be down for a while as anyone dying with Covid is considered unsuitable for donation.However, the good news is that the teaching of organ and stem cell donation is starting to become part of the school curriculum for 11- to 16-year olds and it is expected to become compulsory from September 2021.

This will rather confusingly take place over a two-week period from 5th to 15th October 2020. It has been jointly organised by the Renal Association and The British Renal Society. The idea is to provide a series of educational sessions using a virtual platform. They say that the renal community has been at the forefront of the pandemic and that “these events will also capture the experience and learnings during this time.” Registration is free if you’re a patient. Further information can be found here:https://ukkw.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/A4-Delegate-brochure-FINAL2808203.pdf


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Amazon Smile

Organ Donation Update

UK Kidney Week

http://smile.amazon.co.uk

http://smile.amazon.co.uk

https://ukkw.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/A4-Delegate-brochure-FINAL2808203.pdf




The National Kidney Federation has organised a Webinar to take place from 5.00 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. on Wednesday 30th September 2020 with the aim of exploring whether hospitals can increase the number of home dialysis patients. There will be talks from (amongst others) Dr Graham Lipkin, President of the Renal Association, Dr Nitin Kohle from the Royal Derby Hospital and Dr Sandip Mitra from Manchester Royal In!rmary.It is intended to publish a report following the webinar which will make recommendations and which will be available to all. Registration is free and more details can be found here:https://www.kidney.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=e1d14ee6-bfc2-4636-921a-e9f1f26296a7

As you are aware, the current situation with COVID has meant we have to work in different ways. Most of the young adult consultations have been via Attend Anywhere which is an online NHS based video consultation tool. This has helped us to engage with all of our patients in the renal unit if they have internet access. If patients are unable to use Attend Anywhere, we have been doing telephone consultationsr.After each young adult clinic with a consultant, I have been following up patients to discuss any worries or anxieties they may have. Our young adult Facebook page is a great forum for young adults to talk and have social support. I continue to transition young adults into the adults services and regularly see the young adult inpatients for support.Unfortunately our young adult residential has been cancelled this year, but we hope this can be rescheduled for 2021.

Ria Taylor, Renal Young Adult/Transition Worker

Our Renal Dieticians have introduced a new lifestyle programme aimed at improving not only our diets but also our lifestyles to include losing weight, increasing physical activity and improving blood sugar control.This is a rolling programme with the next start dates being 1st October and 5th November 2020.Each programme will last over a period of 12 months and involve eight individual appointments. So if you’re interested get in touch with the team on [email protected] or call 01392 402524.The next page contains some further information about the programme.


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Renal Lifestyle Programme

NKF Webinar

Young Adult Clinic Update

https://www.kidney.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=e1d14ee6-bfc2-4636-921a-e9f1f26296a7






Introducing the newRenal Lifestyle Programme 2020/2021brought to you by the Renal Dietitians and our Exercise Practitioner at the RD&E.We are launching a 12 month Lifestyle Programme aimed at all kidney patients. This is available as an on-line, telephone and/or face-to-face service. With eight individual appointments over a 12-month period, youʼll have access to personalised advice and guidance to achieve a goal set by you.Goals could include: improving your diet, losing weight, increasing physical activity, improving glycaemic control and any other lifestyle goals you may have.You can refer yourself for this programme or request a referral from your doctor or renal nurse.Spaces are available on a ʻfirst come first servedʼ basis, with limited availability; however we are operating a waiting list system.Topics to include:

✦ Energy balance✦ Sources of calories in the diet✦ The Eatwell guide✦ Increasing fruit and veg✦ Alcohol intake✦ Snacking✦ Eating out✦ Meal planning✦ Physical activity/ moving more✦ Motivation

Expectations of participants:✦ Bring a food and activity diary to each appointment (this will be provided)✦ Fill in a depression/anxiety questionnaire at the beginning and the end✦ Read resources provided fully✦ Agree to the measurements of weight, height, waist circumference and

Body Composition Monitoring✦ Provide feedback to the dietitians on how the programme is working✦ To attend every session

Meet the Renal Lifestyle Programme team

Laura Kyte# # # # Angeline Taylor# # # Sarah MillerRenal Dietitian# # # Renal Dietitian# # # Renal Diet &# # # # # # # # # # # Exercise# # # # # # # # # # # Practitioner


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https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/












As always in the Exeter Renal Unit, there is a constant buzz of activity, change and service planning.

We are working in earnest to create new clinic space and get the clinics running to a sense of normality, although we will continue to offer some appointments via telephone or video if it is safe for their clinical situation as some patients prefer this.

Lucy and I are also investigating if we can access a texting/messaging service for groups of patients to make urgent communication quicker and therefore safer for all.

The very big thing on our minds is My-Care, also known as EPIC and going paperless and fully electronic.

Staff are training in earnest and once both online and face-to-face training is completed, staff can go into a virtual set up to practice using the system on virtual patients.

Go live is Saturday 10th October 2020. What patients will notice is that over the following few weeks after go live staff may be working at a slower pace in order to make sure they have done everything correctly and this will speed up as their con!dence and familiarity grows. Please bear with us all.

We are back into planning for a new dialysis unit to be built in partnership with Fresenius Medical Care in Bridgwater, to provide for the increased dialysis population in Somerset. A site has been found and planning permission is being sought. This will be a 16 station unit.

PREM (Patient Report Experience Measures) is back, but digitally this year. We are purchasing some i-Pads to help people access this while they are having clinic appointments or are on dialysis, but we will also have log in details so you can do this at home. We are waiting for further details but will share these with you as soon as we can. All we ask is for as many patients to complete this as possible as it gives us the most compre-hensive feedback from you all so that we can then create an action plan from and work towards making changes from your feedback.

Have you all seen Kidney Beam? This is a project that helps people living with kidney disease to feel good through movement, educational and well-being support and has come from Kidney Research UK and Kings College Hospital. Sign up for free at www.beamfeelgood.com/kidney-disease. Currently this is free until 30th November and work is underway to secure it after this date.


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Renal Unit Services~ an update from our Senior Nurse, Mickie Dicks

http://www.beamfeelgood.com/kidney-disease




As autumn is approaching, I am mindful that before we know it we will be in winter. Please can everyone who needs to access the hospital regularly for treatment start to think about plans in case of extreme adverse weather. It is our recommendation that your unit is familiar with the access to your property and that should you live in a remote rural area that is hard to access in snow that you have plans to stay with family, friends or a hotel that is accessible so that we can get you in for your treatment.

Talking of potential snow brings my mind to Christmas plans and as usual our dialysis units will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day to enable you all to be at home. We will be holding dialysis sessions on Sunday 27th December and Sunday 3rd January instead.

You will no doubt have noticed the beautiful photos we have featured on the front covers of our Newsletters recently, re"ecting the four seasons of the year. Our next edition will be our Winter/Christmas one and we would like to ask you, our members, to provide a Winter or Christmas themed suitable photo!

So please submit your entries to us by Monday 30th November 2020. We will choose the best and the winner will receive a voucher for £25 which can be used at a number of high street stores ~ as well as their photo featuring on our front cover of course!

The only thing to remember is that for reasons of layout and space, the front cover photo of our Newsletter is portrait (upright) and not landscape (wide angle), so your entry should either be a photo taken in this format or capable of being cropped to this format without losing essential detail. See the miniature examples above.

Please send your photos by email to [email protected] and remember to include your full name and address so that we can send you your £25 voucher should you be our winner. Good luck!


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Newsletter Photo Competition



Exeter’s RD&E hospital is the !rstTrust in the UK to launch a new wayof delivering healthcare which willbe enabled by an electronicpatient record system (EPR) in both acute and community settings.

This will improve the experience for our patients, carers and staff by joining up care and connecting peoplein a way we cannot do today.

We are working on one of the biggest programme of changes in the RD&E’s history.

The MY CARE clinical transformation programme aims to improve everyone’s experience at the RD&E ~ patients, staff and visitors. We want a better connection between the care people receive at our hospitals, in community clinics and at home.

It will mean that patients will be seen in the most suitable place, reducing unnecessary hospital visits or extended stays.

One of the ways we’re going to do this is by introducing a compre-hensive electronic patient record system (EPR). At the moment, healthcare staff have to track down and access patient information using lots of separate computer and paper-based systems.Our new electronic system means all the information will be inone place.

Clinical staff will be able to see their patient’s full story at a glance, including their medical history, latest test results and current medications.

Patients (and their relatives, if needed) will be able to view their record, schedule appointments, see health reminders and generally take an active role in their healthcare.


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MY CARE: Clinical Transformation Programme(Article taken from the RD&E’s website)

The new system will be provided by US-based software company, EPIC.

The bene!ts include:

• Patients easy and secure access to your own records ~ MY CHART.

• Patients seen in the best place, by the best care provider.

• Clinic times better managed, alerting patients if an appointment becomes available due to a cancellation.

• Patients no longer having to repeat themselves over and over to different staff and receiving quicker test results.

• Patients and staff having easy, real-time access to a comprehensive picture of a patient’s healthcare history and treatment plan (GPs and staff caring for patients in their homes are also able to access the system).

• Remove current frustrations of staff from having to log in many times to multiple computer systems and eliminating unnecessary paper documentation and forms.

• Creating more time to care and ensuring staff have the latest tech devices to deliver mobile care.

MY CARE will go live on 10th October 2020!


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EDKPA COMMITTEE MEETINGS

You will be pleased to know that your EDKPA committee is still meeting every other month by Zoom despite the pandemic. This means that although we can’t meet

in person, the business still gets done.

Our next meeting is on Thursday 22nd October, so if there’s anything you think we need to discuss please write to us

and let us know.

If you want to see any of the minutes please contact Jean and she will email them to you.

1. What if my dog only brings back the ball because he thinks I like throwing it?

2. If poison is past its expiry date, is it more poisonous or is it no longer poisonous?

3. Which letter is silent in the word “Scent” ~ the S or the C?

4. Do twins ever realise that one of them is unplanned?

5. Why is the letter w, in English, called double u? Shouldn’t it be called double v?

6. Maybe oxygen is slowly killing you and it takes an average of 75 to 100 years to fully work?

7. Every time you clean something, you just make something else dirty.

8. The word “SWIMS” upside-down is still “SWIMS”.

9. Intentionally losing a game of stone, paper, scissors is just as hard as trying to win.

10. One hundred years ago everyone owned a horse and only the rich had cars. Today everyone has cars and only the rich own horses.

11. Your future self is watching you right now through memories.

12. The doctors who told Stephen Hawking back in 1953 that he had just two years to live, probably died before Stephen Hawking.

13. If you replace “W” with “T” in “What, Where and When”, you get the answer to each of them.

14. Many animals probably need to wear glasses, but nobody knows it.

15. If you rip a hole in a net, there are actually fewer holes in it than there were before.

16. There is no physical evidence that today is Wednesday, we all just have to trust that someone has kept count since the !rst one ever.

17. The !rst person who inhaled helium must have been so relieved when the effects wore off.

18. We use tables to keep food off the "oor, tablecloths to keep food off the table, placemats to keep food off the tablecloth and plates to keep food off the placemats.

19. When exactly does a tan become a sunburn?

20. The greatest distance is from the back of your mind to the tip of your tongue.


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Twenty things to set you thinking . . .

Some telling signs on hospital doors

Maternity: “Push. Push. Push.”

Gynaecology: “Dr. Jones, at your cervix.”

Podiatry: “Time wounds all heels.”

Dentistry: “Open wide.”

Endoscopy: “To expedite your visit, please back in.”

Obesity Clinic: “Please use the double doors on the left.”

Optometry: “If you don’t see what you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place.”

Urology: When red light shows, please hold on.


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Knock, knock ~ who’s there?

“Nurses work 12 hours a day:4 hours caring for patients and 8 hours washing our hands.”

If this year of 2020 was a car, this is perhaps what it wouldlook like . . . !

Whilst visiting a psychiatric hospital, I said to the doctor: “How do you !nd out if someone needs to be admitted here then?”

He replied: “Oh, we set them a simple test. We take them into the bathroom, we show them a bath full of water and we say we want them to empty it. We offer them a choice between a teaspoon, a coffee cup or a bucket.”

I replied: “Right, so a sane person would choose the bucket, because the other two would take much longer?”

He replied: “No, a sane person would pull the plug out. Now, would you like a bed by the window?”

———————————————

A plumber was attending to a leaking tap at a neurosurgeon’s house. After a two-minute job, he demanded £150.

The neurosurgeon exclaimed, “I don't even charge that amount and I’m a brain surgeon.”

The plumber replied, “I agree. You’re right! I didn’t charge that much either when I was a surgeon. That’s why I switched to plumbing!”

———————————————

Some Tommy Cooper-ismsA friend of mine was destined to be an osteopath. He said he could feel it

in his bones.

I said to the doctor at the hospital, “I keep dreaming my eyes change colour.” He said “It’s just a pigment of your imagination.”

A friend parked in a hospital car park. Attendant came up to say: “This is for badge holders only.” My friend said “but I’ve got a bad shoulder…”

I asked my doctor if he could give me something for my liver, so he gave me half a pound of onions.

I had to wait ages for my X-ray today at the hospital. There was only a skeleton staff working.

Why did the doctor laugh at the X-ray of my arm? He found it humerus.

I saw the doctor today and said: “It hurts when I touch my neck, my arm or my chest.” The doctor said, “You’ve broken your !nger.”

I used to get heartburn when I ate birthday cake until a doctor advised me to take the candles off !rst.


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Hospital Humour

Test your knowledge with our Pictogram Quiz. There are 32 countries to !nd from the clues below. As an example, clue number 1 is a tin can, a snake and a simple addition sum. Therefore the answer must beCan-Adder (Canada). The remaining 31 clues may be a little harder!

Sent in by Peter Shearman (a transplant patient).

Answers on page 22


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Countries of the World Quiz

Need support?


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EDKPA Information & Advice ServiceEDKPA offers advice and assistance on !nancial problems and claiming bene!ts,

through the help of Citizens Advice Exeter. If your treatment is supervised by the Renal Department at the RD&E you can telephone 01392 402244 or email [email protected] and Jean will ring you back to either book an appointment or provide any other information and advice by telephone.

Kidney Care UK and the NKFIn addition you can contact Kate Cresswell, Kidney Care’s South West Advocacy Of!cer on 01420 541424 if you

need advice and support or to apply for a patient’s grant. She can also provide counselling services and advice on holiday grants etc.

The National Kidney Federation has a free helpline on 0800 169 09 36 where they can give advice on all aspects of life as a kidney patient from medical issues to holiday insurance. They can also provide you on request, a large variety of informative lea#ets.

Transplant Support NetworkThe Transplant Support Network (TSN) is the only nationwide network that provides support ~ usually over the

telephone ~ to patients, family and carers of all solid organ transplants and mechanical implants.As well as giving patients access to someone who has undergone the same transplantation process as them, it

provides the same unique opportunity for family and carers, who live through the many ups and downs before, during and after a transplant.

TSN has trained a number of volunteers from around the country. They offer an ear to listen to your individual situation and to give reassurance, understanding and non-medical advice and information.Telephone 0800 027 4490 or 0800 027 4491 for free advice (calls are free from a landline). More details at http://www.transplantsupportnetwork.org.uk/

Support EDKPA by Regular GivingYou can help the EDKPA by a regular giving donation. If you are a tax-payer, the EDKPA will receive your donation plus the tax amount on top.Please download a form at: http://www.edkpa.org/donate/ Thank you.

Support EDKPA by Gift AidUsing Gift Aid means that for every pound you

as a taxpayer give, we get an extra 25p from the Inland Revenue. This means that £10 can be turned into £12.50, as long as donations are made through Gift Aid and you are a taxpayer. Just imagine what a difference that could make and it does not cost you a thing.

You can download a form here: http://www.edkpa.org/donate/ or a form is available from our Treasurer Mark Harrison, 45 Beech Close, Willand, near Cullompton EX15 2SD. Tel: 01884 34123. The form can be used with a donation to enable EDKPA to claim the extra tax automatically.

Need support?

http://www.transplantsupportnetwork.org.uk/




http://www.edkpa.org/donate/






mailto:[email protected]?subject=


What does the EKPDA do for you?


21

Here are some examples:

The above are just a few of the things we help fund. If you feel like joining us, contact George Palmer, our Chairman, [email protected]

What does the EDKPA do for you?

✦ We pay for Information and Advice Service with Exeter CAB. We do this as we have no social worker and patients can get the best advice on benefits etc. Jean Aplin (our secretary) can book you into the next available appointment with our benefits advisor at Citizens Advice.

✦ Ria Taylor (CKD Clinical Nurse Specialist and Renal Young Adult/Transition Nurse) ~ we pay part of her salary.

✦ For a 12-month period we are paying and supplying snacks for patients on Sid Ward to have with their morning cuppa.

✦ We provide 111 television sets (Sid Ward 17, Heavitree 24, Day Care 9, Creedy 29, Honiton 8, Torquay 24) and remote controls. There is an annual cost which includes a rolling schedule of replacements (the NHS do not pay for televisions).

✦ The Newsletter ~ this is our main means of communicating with our members. Whilst we have cut costs as far as possible by sending this out by email, some members still prefer to have printed copies with the additional cost that this involves.

✦ Website and associated internet charges.

✦ Social functions, e.g. the Summer Party and the PD Patients’ Party at Copplestone.bkpa

✦ One-off purchases and grants, e.g. the purchase of a dialysis machine (whether this is for inside the hospital or for individual kidney patients in their homes) and other essential hospital equipment.

✦ Secretary ~ providing an invaluable service to our members both in organisational terms and often being the first point of contact for anyone wanting to be in touch.

✦ Subsidised trips, e.g. weekend/day trips and trips to the pantomime.

✦ We provide financial support to members taking part in the Transplant Games (four this year).

✦ We pay for an interpreter for a young deaf boy to take part in the annual activities weekend (that is half the cost, Kidney Care pay the rest).

✦ We have a small Welfare Fund which can be used to help patients quickly, e.g. helping a patient with transport costs where they may be unable to meet this cost from their own resources.

mailto:?subject=

mailto:?subject=

Whether you receive this Newsletter by post or email, do I have your correct email or postal address? If you have changed your address recently, please send me an update to [email protected].

The cost of sending out a paper Newsletter is significant to the Association. Whilst we realise this is essential for many people, if you have an email address and would like to receive the Newsletter by email, please let me know ~ send an email to [email protected].

Thank you.

Nick WoodNewsletter editor


22

Changed address recently (email or home) ?

If you do not wish to receive this Newsletter any more, please email [email protected] or contact Jean Aplin (see Contact section).

Whilst we do our best to avoid sending the Newsletter to members who have passed away, due to the Data Protection Act we have to rely on information from members.

NOTE: If a web link is included in the paper copy of the Newsletter and you would like the whole story, please contact me and I will send you a paper copy of the story ~ [email protected].

Thanks to all the people who help compile this Newsletter and help to get it out to you.

Nick Wood for editing, Keith Forbes for sending them out;

. . . and !nally YOU ~ many people send in an article and we are very grateful.

Answers to the Quiz on page 19

1.Canada2.West Indies3.Ireland4.Russia5.Mozambique6.Bahamas7.Taiwan8.New Zealand9.Holland10.Columbia11.Brazil12.Cuba13.Wales14.Portugal15.Romania16.Japan17.Liechtenstein18.Bali19.Iraq20.China21.Belgium22.Singapore23.Bahrain24.India25.Hungary26.North Korea27.Kampuchea28.Sweden29.Italy30.Hong Kong31.Botswana32.Grenada









If you are a pre-dialysis, dialysis, transplant patient or friend/carer,come and join us!

Bene!ts include organised holidays and trips, supply of televisions for the dialysis unit, social events and automatic membership of the National Kidney Federation.

You will also receive this newsletter letting you know what is going on – plus,it’s free to sign up!

If possible, please let us have your email address to save on printing/postage


23

Join us!

I would like to become a member of the Exeter and District Kidney Patients’ Association and receive a copy of the Newsletter and be eligible for support.

I would also like to become a member of the National Kidney Federation and receive their magazine Kidney Life.

(Please let us know if you do not wish to become a member of the NKF when joining.)

Name:_______________________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Postcode_____________________________ Tel:__________________________

Email________________________________________________________________Please try and include an email address – it saves postage for the Newsletter.We never use your email address for anything except EDKPA communications.

Date of Birth: _____________________________

Please send to:

Jean Aplin, 13 Crowden Crescent, Tiverton, Devon. EX16 4ET

or send an email with the above details to [email protected]

Membership of the EDKPA is free!



Your EDKPA ~ who are we?


24

Your EDKPA – who are we?PRESIDENT DR LUCY SMYTHVICE-PRESIDENT DR CORALIE BINGHAMSecretary Mrs Jean Aplin 13 Crowden Crescent, Tiverton, Devon EX16 4ET Tel: 01884 254260 [email protected] George Palmer [email protected] Ken Battishill 65 Rydon Park, Rydon Lane, Exeter, Devon EX2 7HWCommittee Members Kate Cresswell (BKPA), Keith Forbes, Jackie Garry, Sandie Hampshire, Danny O’Sullivan, Jake Johns, Wendy Sincock, Nick WoodCo-opted Ria Taylor (Renal young adult/transition worker)Other contacts Website/Newsletter Nick Wood [email protected] Taunton Group Vacant – if you would like to fill this post, please contact Jean Aplin. Transplant Games Wendy Sincock Tel: 01647 231597 [email protected] Devon Kidney Support GroupChairman Donald Lynch Tel: 01271 812300 [email protected] Roy Sibley [email protected] Secretary Cherie Merryfield Tel: 01271 343887 [email protected]

Visit our website at http://www.edkpa.org.uk

This newsletter is printed by Garfield Barnett.If you have any queries about printing the newsletter,

or general PC problems of your own, I’d recommend giving him a ring:Garfield Barnett, Cotswold Computing, 49, Park Hill, Tiverton, EX16 6RW

Home: 01884 253148 Mobile 07964 303368Email: [email protected]



















EDKPA Newsletter Spring 2020 - EDKPA Exeter & District Kidney … · and the NHS website (nhs.uk)....

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