I hope you have all enjoyed Christmas (and that Santa was good to you!) and that 2009 will be a good year for you.
Hopefully this will also include:

The NHS has spent billions attempting to develop a national programme to record everyone's health records. This could be very helpful for a patient who needs medical help while away from their home. It would mean any doctor could check on their health records and give the appropriate treatment, vital if for example you are a transplant patient.

In the new system there are plans to allow a patient to conceal part of their medical record by putting it into a password-protected envelope. This would mean only the patient and the local health care team could see what is in the envelope. For example a woman might want to put the fact that she has had an abortion into the envelope. This envelope would be visible if a doctor from another area checked the patient's record even though it could not be read. If the patient wishes to conceal it further it could be flagged so it was not visible to any outsider.

This national programme would be used for research. For example if someone wanted to find out how many women had had abortions they could find out from the programme. In that case it would be able to read all the records of who had had an abortion including those recorded in an envelope. This data would be anonymous and not traceable to the individual patient.

Using a system of peer support originally developed in Guy's and Kings Hospitals in London. This involves a Link Nurse who is first approached by patients wanting to talk to an experienced patient. The Link Nurse then selects an appropriate member of the team of volunteers and arranges for them to meet.

We are aiming to develop a team of experienced renal patients of both sexes, with a mix of experience and ages. The aim is to link patients with someone of about the same age, the same sex and with appropriate treatment experience.

Volunteers will take part in a training course of three sessions of two hours each. This will include the assessment and selection of each volunteer.

Volunteers need experience in any of the following:

	Peritoneal dialysis
	Haemodialysis
	Kidney transplant from either an unknown or a living donor
	Pancreas transplant.

I have been finding out all I can about draft care plans. One interesting fact has emerged. Patients going to some renal units get their blood tests done in the week before a clinic so these recent results can be discussed with a doctor. We get ours done at clinic and don't get a chance to find out the results until after it. Usually this means the results are discussed weeks after the tests were done.

Would you prefer to have a blood sample taken at your local GP's in the week before a clinic? This is already being done in at least one other renal unit so should we ask for this to happen for Freeman renal patients?

Please let me know what you think. Simon Lloyd 

Report about the transplant volleyball tournament held in Liverpool on Saturday the 8^th of November.

The Newcastle squad of seven players and five supporters travelled on the Friday and met up that evening in the Jury's Inn hotel at the Albert Dock area of the city.

The tournament player and team registration was at 9.00 the following morning and we duly arrived by taxi at the venue. It transpired that there were 10 teams in total and they were divided into two groups of five. Each group played a round robin format of timed games. This consisted of a single set of 10 minutes duration.

Newcastle played Berkshire Royals first and got off to a good start scoring 43 points against the oppositions 11. Our next match was against the hosts, Liverpool and a tighter game saw us run out the winners by 34 points to 19. Our next match, against Papworth, saw us win again, this time by 33 to 15. The final match of the group games saw us play Leicester who gave us a close game until we scored well near the end to pull away and win by 32 to 22.

We had won all of our group games and finished in top place. That meant that we were through to the semi-finals and due to play the second placed team from the other group, which turned out to be Cambridge.

At this stage of the competition it was decided that the matches would be the best of three 10 minute sets.

A tight first set saw us narrowly win by 17 to 14 but the second was won by the narrowest of margins by Cambridge, 15 – 14. This meant that the winner o f the final set would be through to the final.

A tense and keenly fought set meant that again it went all the way, the score being tied at 15 all when the final whistle went with the ball still in play. Unfortunately for us that final play went the way of Cambridge and we had to settle for joint third place.

Cambridge went on to play Wythenshaw in the final and lost by two sets to one.

A gala evening was held later that night where the presentations took place.

I would like to thank all of our players; John Harty, Martin Graham, Graeme Appleby, Phil Brown, Tommy Boag and Dawn Fenton. Special mention goes to Dawn, who had broken a finger in training a fortnight before and had played on with that and to Phil who had played despite problems with a sore foot which restricted his movements.

Also thanks to our vocal support; Sue Harty, Catherine Graham and team manager Joyce Gill. Also special mention to Ken Brown and Marion Lee for coordinating selection, substitutions and coaching

This was again held at St. George's Church, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne. I found it, as I always do, a very moving service and it was lovely meeting and talking to Donor Families seeing things from their perspective - how it helped them cope with their loved one's death knowing that their organs were helping others lead fuller lives.

The following was written by an anonymous Transplant Patient and read at the transplant service:

"Thank you for the gift of life.
For letting me be me.
For all that I can know by words and all that I can see.
For all the music I can hear and all the songs I sing.
For all the joy that comes to me and all the joy I bring.
For all the food that I can taste and all the sweet scents smell.
For all the loved ones I can touch, who love and wish me well.
For all the beauty of the world, ever fresh and new.
I don’t know whom else I can thank, so I’m thanking you"

The lucky winner was Mrs Marion Fennelly whose chosen name 'SIMON' was picked out of the bag. Thanks to all who took part, helping us raise £40 for TKPA funds.

On Tuesday 6th December the TKPA held it's Christmas meal at the Wheatsheaf, Callerton Parkway, with approximately 40 members attending. David Errington compiled a quiz with a Christmas theme for us all to ponder over, with a prize for the highest score, whilst Joan provided a booby prize for the person brave enough to admit to having the lowest score.

After the excellent meal our chairman, Simon Lloyd, thanked everyone for attending and expressed gratitude to recently retired Linda Hart for all she had done to help kidney patients and their families in her capacity as Renal Social Worker. He then presented her with some flowers. Unfortunately, the gift voucher to go with the flowers was left behind, but Linda was assured it would be forwarded on to her.

The evening ended with a raffle which raised £53.50p for our funds, bringing a very enjoyable evening to a close.

On Tuesday 23rd December members of the TKPA in the guise of Santa Claus (Simon Lloyd) and his helpers Len Cline, Joan Longstaff, Margaret Nelson and David Errington aided by the Good Fairy (Mary Bullock) went round the renal wards giving out packets of sweets, crackers and Christmas cards to kidney patients staying in hospital over Christmas.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
All our meetings are normally held on the second TUESDAY of the month in the Postgraduate Centre of the Freeman Hospital at 6.30pm for 7.00 pm start. They will usually be held in the Lounge, room 137/8 - if there is a change of day, room or venue it will it be stated at that event. If date & day differ please telephone any committee member for correct day/date! I (Joan) sometimes have a ‘senior moment’ when my brain is not in gear and I hit the wrong keys – that’s my excuse!!!

If anybody would like to ask questions of any of the speakers, but are unable to attend that meeting, please contact any committee member who will ask it for you and give you the answer. We will put the answer in the newsletter anonymously is you want!

Everyone is welcome including members and non-members to our general meetings.

However Committee meetings are open to MEMBERS only.

Unfortunately we have had to cancel our plans for a Dragon Boat Race because Newburn Leisure Centre quoted us £600 for the event and we simply can't afford it. So we are going to hold a Doctors v Patients Bowling Night and the good news is that the doctors are up for it!

Tuesday 13^th 7.00pm Room 138 Enjoying Renal Diets Dietician

Tuesday 10^th 7.00pm Room 137 Any Questions with the Dietician George Hartley Haemodialysis Sister Carina Taylor, Nephrologist Dr Laura Baines, Pharmacist Rachel Fraser

Thursday 12^th World Kidney Day Eldon Square & Freeman Hospital – Volunteers needed to man stalls

Checks on parking are being tightened up. We can use the Pay & Display car park beside the Postgraduate Centre free by displaying a TKPA badge on the dashboard, either using the one printed below or on the night from a member of the committee. Drivers can get to it by turning left at the mini roundabout in front of the main entrance, go past the barrier and into the first car park on the left.