The society does not provide medical services of any kind, as its expertise lies in the areas of support, education, information and patient representation.
Kidney Society services are free for kidney failure families in Northland and Auckland, although membership is encouraged.
The Society works closely with the professionals providing medical care for people with kidney failure but is a strictly independent patient society providing support in the community.
Here to Help
Kidney Society Auckland provides support and information for people with kidney failure and their families primarily in the greater Auckland and Northland area. The Society is a registered charity, incorporated under the Charitable Trusts Act 1957.
The Clients
Clients include people on dialysis and those with a functioning kidney transplant, as well as those expected to be in need of dialysis treatment or a kidney transplant in the near future, i.e. people with less than 30% remaining kidney function.
At the start of the 5 year planning period our client group consists of around 1300 families in Auckland/Northland. People from other areas whose treatment is managed through their regional hospitals sometimes choose to join the Society as paying members.
Cost to Clients
We encourage clients to join as financial members at a cost of $15 per year, to foster a feeling of ownership and participation in what we promote as a "patients for patients" grassroots organisation. However services are available to members and non members alike, and opportunities exist for people to contribute to the Society in other ways they feel comfortable with. Most of our services are free and provided thanks to public donation.
Our Services
The Society operates at two levels:
- Working with public health services and health professionals, aiming at the maintenance and development of appropriate standards in health care for people with kidney failure.
- Working with people with kidney failure and their families to ensure that they understand how they can achieve the best quality of life and a near normal lifestyle at any point in their diagnosis and treatment programme. The Society sees its major role as the support system to both the healthcare services and the patient.
It plays its role best when it keeps healthcare professionals aware of the ways in which treatment services are delivered from a patient's perspective.
It also ensures that patients and their families understand how they can get the best out of their treatment and healthcare services.
The Society regards itself as having a major role in creating positive attitudes and constructive ways of dealing with kidney failure to maximise quality of life and individually acceptable lifestyles.
Location and Access
The Society is based at a modified residential property in Papatoetoe, Auckland, very close to Middlemore Hospital and its dialysis units.
Relationship to Public Health Service
The Society works closely with staff at the various hospitals providing dialysis and transplant services in our region while maintaining strict independence from these facilities. We place great emphasis on being seen as an independent community service for patients, providing support outside the hospital environment.
Communication between ourselves and healthcare service providers is frequent and mutually valued. Our participation in planning and reviewing of services for kidney patients based at hospitals in our region is regularly invited.
Relationship with other Kidney Organisations
While the Society is an autonomous entity, there is frequent and constructive interaction with other kidney patient organisations throughout the country.
The Society has a strong association with Kidney Health New Zealand although both organisations are separate and independent from each other. Kidney Health NZ has a much wider purpose than the Society and focuses on prevention, research and education for all patients with kidney disease from mild impairment to endstage kidney failure. It also provides some indirect patient support services through links with kidney patient societies and groups. The Society works with Kidney Health NZ on relevant projects but takes care to maintain its focus on working for people with end stage kidney failure at all times.
