Inpatient and dialysis service
The department manages 450 inpatients and over 300 day case reviews each year. On an average 22 renal transplants (including ABO/HLA incompatible transplantation) are performed annually in addition to 80 renal biopsies. The department provides a 7 day on call service for dialysis up until 20:00 each night. Long- term peritoneal dialysis is provided to 10-20 patients and chronic haemodialysis to 10-15 patients each month. Plasma exchange and lipid apheresis is also provided within the department. Service under development, a paediatric home haemodialysis service for the region.
Outpatient service
The service reviews over 500 new patients and over 2000 follow-up patients per annum on site. Together with general nephrology, dialysis (peritoneal dialysis and haemodialysis), low clearance and transplant clinics we run the following joint/specialty clinics: Alport and thin basement membrane diseases, cystinosis, tuberous sclerosis, renal stones, metabolic/MMA, antenatal, renal genetics, vasculitis, lower urinary tract dysfunction, paediatric-adult transition, and an Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) follow-up clinics. The department also covers joint outreach clinics stretching from Barrow-in-Furness in the north of the region to Crewe in the south (12 district hospital partnerships). Each centre is visited three or more times per year and around 600 reviews are undertaken in outreach clinics.
Specialist service: Cystinosis
Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital is one of three national, highly specialised paediatric services in England for cystinosis and are able to take referrals from the North of England from 1st September 2022.
Click the sections below for more info
Phone: 0161 701 2961
Frequency: 10 clinics a year (including transition clinics to Manchester Royal Infirmary)
Information for referrers
Referrals can be made by email to cystinosis.RMCH@nhs.net from a secure (nhs.net) email account or to Cystinosis.RMCH@mft.nhs.uk
or via Post to:
Paediatric Cystinosis Team
Nephrology Department
Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital
Oxford Road
M13 9WL
Information for patients and families
Preparation:
Our Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) will contact you before your clinic date and develop an individual clinic timetable with the health professionals you would like to meet. The CNS will also collate recent blood results from your local hospital so that any outstanding tests can be undertaken during the visit.
On the day:
‘During the morning you will meet with the following professional teams to discuss your care and health needs (if applicable):
- Nephrology (kidneys)
- Endocrinology (growth, puberty and hormones)
- Neurology (muscles and nerves)
- Nutrition (diet and growth)
- Psychological support
- Venepuncture (if blood tests not recently done by your local service)
Investigations that may be required include white cell cysteine, kidney, liver and bone function, thyroid function, pubertal and growth tests. Where possible we will use the most recent from your local centre to avoid duplication.
Further, you will have the opportunity to discuss participation in future research studies and new therapies and treatment options, which may be in development.
The afternoon is then dedicated to the ophthalmic (eye) assessment. You may be asked to complete a patient questionnaire assessing symptoms and how you are managing with any eye drops. Additionally, a vision test and an ocular exam (including taking photographs of the eye) will be performed. This is followed by a face to face review with a consultant to discuss findings and a review of your patient questionnaire, including adjustments to ocular treatment.’
After Clinic:
A written summary of the clinic will be communicated back to you and your local centre(s) and general practitioner. In addition, there is the option for you to attend virtually if no investigations or imaging of the eyes is required at any future reviews.
Who are the key staff involved in running the MDT?
Professionals involved in delivering the cystinosis service include:
Nephrology – Dr Amrit Kaur and Christian Brix
Clinical Nurse Specialist – Alecia Gillett
Ophthalmology – Mr Susmito Biswas
Neurological and Neuromuscular – Dr Emily Whitehouse and Dr Gary McCullagh
Endocrine – Dr Raja Padidela and Dr Philip Murray
Nutritional Support – Rebecca Hayes
Pharmacy – Jeanette Chew
Fertility Care – Dr Cheryl Fitzgerald
Clinical Genetics – Dr Helen Stuart
Administrative support:
Nephrology Operational Manager – Charlotte Hudnott
PA to Dr Kaur – Emily Wan
Where might I look for more information?
Cystinosis Foundation UK https://www.cystinosis.org.uk/
Metabolic Support UK https://www.metabolicsupportuk.org/
Research
Activity within the department spans the spectrum from basic science to clinical translational research. This incorporates important cross faculty collaborations within the University of Manchester in addition to partnerships within the wider the Academic Nephrology Network in Manchester. Research funding in excess of £6million has been awarded to members of the department over the past 3 years from the following funding agencies: NIHR, Wellcome Trust, MRC, BBSRC, Kidney Research UK, Kids Kidney Research and Kidneys for Life.
Departmental contacts
Charlotte Hudnott, Operational Manager, 0161 701 6781
Joan Shiels, Renal Unit Administrator, 0161 701 2161
Dr Amrit Kaur, Clinical Lead, 0161 701 2161
For further information, click on the headings below.
Inpatient/dialysis units
Ward 77, 0161 701 7700
Haemodialysis Unit, 0161 701 7604
Haemodialysis Unit, 0161 701 7604
Administrative team
Emily Wan, PA to Dr Shenoy, Dr Wallace and Dr Kaur, 0161 701 2961
Katherine Wain, PA to Dr Plant, Dr Brix, Prof Lennon & Prof Woolf, 0161 701 1676
Gaynor Knott, Assistant Medical Secretary
Joan Shiels, Renal Unit Administrator, 0161 701 2161
Mohamed Mohamed, Clerical Officer, 0161 701 1652
Nephrology senior nursing team and specialist role
Denise Roberts: Chronic kidney disease and pre-transplant listing
Cora Lahart: Incentre haemodialysis and dialysis unit manager
Kate Sinnott: Dialysis home therapies lead
Pam Slack: Dialysis home therapies
Liz Edwards: Transplantation
Michael Noteyoung: Advanced clinical practitioner
Abigail Spindler: Renal nurse educator
Helen Barber: Acute kidney injury
Alecia Gillett: Cystinosis
Allied health professionals
Yvie Morley: Health play specialist
Rebecca Hayes: Dietitian
Caitriona Gallagher: Dietitian
[vacant]: Pharmacist
Dr Jacqueline Nicholson: Clinical psychologist
Lucy Galvin: Clinical psychologist
Research team
Angela Branson: Senior clinical trials coordinator
Clinton Prakash: Data administrator
Helen Dalgleish: Senior paediatric clinical nephrology research nurse
Paediatric transplant surgical team
Mr Afshin Tavakoli: Consultant in paediatric transplant surgery, clinical lead
Dr Davandra Patel: Consultant in paediatric anaesthetic, clinical lead
Specialist interests
Dr Christian Brix: Transplantation, nephrotic syndrome
Dr Amrit Kaur: CKD, dialysis, cystinosis, renal metabolic diseases, transition
Professor Rachel Lennon: Alport syndrome, AKI, research (glomerular cell biology)
Dr Nick Plant: Transplantation, urodynamics, tuberous sclerosis, vasculitis, antenatal counselling
Dr Mohan Shenoy: Transplantation, hypertension, renal stones, vasculitis, antenatal counselling
Dr Dean Wallace: CKD, dialysis, home haemodialysis, bladder dysfunction
Professor Nick Webb (Honorary Consultant), transplantation, research
Professor Adrian Woolf: Renal genetics, research (urinary tract development)
Further information
Further clinical information, research and social media activity can be found with the following links.
Twitter; @nephrology_RMCH
Instagram; @dept_nephrology_rmch
http://www.wellcome-matrix.org/people/rachel-lennon/
http://research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/rachel.lennon.html
Consultants
- Dr Amrit Kaur - Consultant in Paediatric Nephrology and Clinical lead
- Professor Rachel Lennon - Professor of Nephrology, Honorary Consultant Paediatric Nephrologist and Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow in Clinical Science
- Dr Nick Plant - Consultant Paediatric Nephrologist
- Dr Mohan Shenoy - Consultant Paediatric Nephrologist
- Dr Dean Wallace - Consultant Paediatric Nephrologist
- Professor Adrian S Woolf - Professor of Paediatric Science, School of Biology, University of Manchester, and Honorary Consultant in Nephrology, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital; and Honorary Professor, University College London.