Renal Nurse showcases award-nominated work on international stage

Shelagh Bickerton, Lead Nurse for Acute Kidney Injury at RWT, at the European Renal Association (ERA) conference

A specialist renal Nurse has represented The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) on the world stage – at a major conference.

The European Renal Association (ERA) conference took place in Vienna, welcoming more than 10,000 international delegates.

Shelagh Bickerton, Lead Nurse for Acute Kidney Injury at RWT, was proud to have two papers accepted to be presented – a significant achievement, especially as few Nurses were among the presenters.

Shelagh said: “I am extremely proud of the service we provide for patients with Acute Kidney Injury, and our data proves that we have a really positive impact on patient outcomes and experience.

“It has been the culmination of a lot of hard work from the Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) team and wider Multi Disciplinary Team.”

The first presentation, ‘Evaluation and impact of an Acute Kidney Injury Service on measurable patient outcomes in a large district general hospital in the United Kingdom’, shared data from the launch of the AKI team in 2020. It demonstrated significant improvements in hospital length of stay, readmission rates and mortality.

The second, ‘Reducing the incidence and severity of Acute Kidney Injury in people with ileostomies – a Nurse-led approach in a district general hospital in the United Kingdom’, focused on a collaborative project with Colorectal Clinical Nurse Specialists at the Trust.

This Nurse-led initiative has gained national and international recognition, receiving official endorsement from the UK Kidney Association, the Association of Nephrology Nurses UK (ANN UK) and the Association of Stoma Care Nurses.

Shelagh added: “This collaborative project between AKI and Colorectal specialist Nurses at RWT, as well as with patients themselves, shows the impact a Nursing initiative can have on this vulnerable and often-overlooked patient group.

“Working so closely with patients through the Ileostomy Association has been incredibly rewarding and has allowed the patient voice to help shape services directed at maintaining kidney health.”

The project has also been shortlisted in two categories in this year’s Nursing Times Awards.

She said: “I also wanted to say a huge thank you to ANN UK for their generous bursary towards attending the ERA conference.”