A pioneering patient education workshop, believed to be the first of its kind in Yorkshire, has helped kidney patients in Bradford better understand their condition and treatment options in their preferred languages.
Organised by Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s renal team, the event saw NHS staff deliver information directly to South Asian patients in Urdu and Punjabi, helping to overcome language barriers in healthcare.
Held at The Park Lane Centre in Little Horton, the workshop brought together patients, families and carers with doctors, specialist nurses and other healthcare professionals from Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke’s Hospital.
The session covered dialysis, home therapies, kidney transplantation and living kidney donation, giving patients an opportunity to ask questions and take a more active role in decisions about their care.
Consultant Nephrologist and Clinical Lead for Renal Medicine Dr Mansoor Ali said: “Living with kidney disease can involve some very important and sometimes difficult decisions about treatment.
“We want every patient to understand the options available to them and feel confident taking part in decisions about their care. Being able to have those conversations in Urdu and Punjabi, supported by our multidisciplinary team and patients sharing their own experiences, made a real difference.
“It’s vital that people feel informed, supported and confident about their care and treatment, and we’re delighted to have had positive feedback from this event with patients asking us to hold more events like this.”
Patients share experiences of kidney treatment
A patient panel shared personal experiences of living with kidney disease, including receiving dialysis three times a week in hospital, managing dialysis at home and undergoing successful kidney transplantation.
Their stories provided valuable peer support, allowing patients and families to hear directly from others who understood the challenges of living with the condition.
The Trust’s Health Equity Project Manager, Shaheen Kauser, said the workshop demonstrated the importance of delivering healthcare information in languages patients feel comfortable using.
“Seeing patients, carers, families, nurses, allied health professionals and consultants communicating openly in Urdu and Punjabi was incredibly powerful.
“Conversations flowed naturally, questions were asked with confidence and information was shared in a way that everyone could understand. By providing education in these patients’ preferred languages, we can improve understanding, support informed decision-making and increase people’s confidence in managing long-term conditions.
“This seminar was a powerful example of health equity in action. It showed what can be achieved when services are designed around the needs of different communities.”
Additional peer support was provided by patients and families from the Bradford and Airedale Kidney Information Network (BrAdKIN) and Bradford Kidney Patients Association (KPA).
The workshop formed part of Bradford Renal Unit’s Transform Advanced Kidney Care project, a quality improvement initiative aimed at improving care for people living with kidney disease.
It was led by Tahira Mir, Cultural Health and Information Officer at the unit, with support from Dr Ali and Renal Services Manager Shiraz Bismillah.
Following positive feedback, the renal team hopes to organise similar events to help more patients understand kidney disease, connect with healthcare professionals and local support networks, and make informed decisions about their treatment.
