World Kidney Day – colouring in, learning with Becton School, and kidney biscuits!

Sheffield Children’s is recognising World Kidney Day and sharing useful information about kidneys, the team which supports our patients and a story from a current patient receiving care.

Learning about kidneys

Teachers at Becton School, the dedicated teaching team at the hospital, have put together a short video all about kidneys, how they work and how to look after them:

As part of science week, the Becton School team have supported the renal team by providing education sessions around kidneys to current inpatients across the hospital. Thank you!

Children and young people learnt about where the kidneys are in the body and their function. They also learnt about how the kidneys filter out the waste products from our body and dispose of them in a really creative way as you can see: the sieve is the kidney, the green balls are proteins and the rice is the waste product which filtered through the holes into the bladder to become ‘pee’.

As part of the World Kidney Day, young patients got the chance to colour in a kidney – not a real one – and try one of the special biscuits available too!

What do kidneys do?

Kidneys are really important to overall health. They:

• Remove waste products and extra water that your body doesn’t need
• Help control your blood pressure
• Activate your vitamin D which is important for good bone health

How can you keep your kidney’s healthy?

• Drink plenty of water to keep you well hydrated
• Try to control the amount of salt in your diet

The Nephrology Team at Sheffield Children’s

The Nephrology (study of kidneys) team, is made up of a dedicated nephrologist, a consultant paediatrician with a specialist interest in nephrology, a renal nurse specialist and a specialist renal dietician. The team work together to support patients who have problems with their kidneys.

Their care includes specialist medication, helping patients design specific diets and supporting patients with chronic kidney disease and other similar conditions.

Meet the team:

• Dr Grace Ehidiamhen, Consultant Paediatrician with a Special Interest in Nephrology
• Dr Andy Lunn, Consultant Nephrologist (works jointly at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust)
• Frankie Trench, Renal Nurse Specialist
• Hayley Downes, Secretary for Dr Grace
• Eleanor Tidswell, Specialist Renal Dietitian

We would like to say a big thank you to…

As well as the Becton School, lots of other people got involved in World Kidney Day this year, including:

• Catering – who offered a tasty chilli con carne for lunch – because it’s made with Kidney beans! – and who made the delicious biscuits for patients and staff to eat.
• Our Health and Wellbeing group who funded the biscuits.
• Our Plaster Room team – who made some kidney models to be used as teaching aids, and be decorated by children.
• The Children’s Hospital Charity – who gave prizes for the colouring competition.
• Asda (at Handsworth) – for donating the bottles of water, always useful for healthy kidneys!