15 April 2026

Our Trust has been awarded almost £100,000 of National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funding to explore how a bespoke digital tool could help make kidney care more inclusive for patients.

The study, called INCLUDE-CKD, will look at how patients from all backgrounds use the MyRenalCare app, a digital platform created at the Wessex Kidney Centre after people with chronic kidney disease asked for a simple, more flexible way to manage their condition. Patient feedback highlighted that juggling long-term illnesses with work, travel and family life is difficult, and that they wanted more control over their care. MyRenalCare was designed closely with patients to create a practical, accessible platform aligned with real-world needs.

The team are now committed to testing and understanding whether digital care can reduce inequalities for people living with chronic kidney disease. Over the next year, around 1,000 people using MyRenalCare will be compared with the same number receiving usual care. Interviews with patients and staff will also be conducted to understand their real-life experiences and whether digital kidney care reduces or exacerbates health inequalities.

The team will work with clinicians, researchers and patient representatives to ensure the findings directly shape future services.

Consultant Nephrologist, Dr Nick Sangala, who created MyRenalCare, said: "MyRenalCare is already benefitting thousands of individuals living with kidney disease, enabling personalised care to be delivered at home. In order to help many more people, we must understand if our reach and benefit is equitable, and if it isn't, learn how to make sure it is in the future. We are very proud to be doing this work with Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust supported by the NIHR."

The results will help PHU and wider NHS services understand how to roll out digital kidney care that reaches everyone who needs it.