Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s Renal Dietetic and Social Work team has received a top health award for improving the lives of patients living with chronic kidney disease.

The project ‘Empowering patients with Chronic Kidney Disease undergoing dialysis through cookery’ received high praise from the judges and received the Chroma Award at this year’s Advancing Health Care Awards, which was held in London earlier this month.

Their cooking skills project, which was rolled out across the health board, with support from the Public Health Dietetic team, was acknowledged for supporting people with kidney failure to enjoy a diet which meets their health needs, socialisation and self-efficacy.

Alison Richards, renal social worker, said: “People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis often report feelings of disempowerment, loneliness and social isolation and are frequently advised to modify their diet.

“Building on a pilot from 2016, our project focused on rolling out a larger pilot of a cooking skills course for this patient group.”

A six-week programme of cooking sessions were created, which aimed to represent everyday life and social situations. The course aimed to not only increase knowledge and confidence with the ‘renal diet’ and cooking skills but also to offer patients an opportunity to socialise away from a hospital setting.

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