Kidney Care UK and South West Water provide vital support for thousands of kidney patients

The UK's leading kidney patient support charity, Kidney Care UK, and South West Water have joined forces to provide vital support to vulnerable customers living with chronic kidney disease.

The UK's leading kidney patient support charity, Kidney Care UK, and South West Water have joined forces to provide vital support to vulnerable customers living with chronic kidney disease.

Kidney Care UK provide a range of support services to help the seven million people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) across the UK. Through its partnership with South West Water, over 110,000 people with kidney disease in the South West region can benefit from a wide range of support services, including access to South West Water’s Priority Services Register.

South West Water currently supports over 118,000 customers on its Priority Services Register, a free service that’s available to customers who need an extra bit of help in managing their water bill and who could be at risk if there were to be problems with their water supply.

The initiative offers a range of different services to support customers’, tailored to individual needs such as a physical or learning disability, illness, or an age or communication requirement.

South West Water and Kidney Care UK are working together to highlight the services that can directly support individuals suffering from kidney disease, providing much needed help at a time when it is more important than ever.

Laurie Cuthbert, Director of Fundraising, Marketing & Communications at Kidney Care UK, said: “This is an exciting partnership to transform the support our kidney community will receive in the South West of England. Around one-third of the customers of South West Water live in some of the most deprived areas of the UK so we are pleased to be working in partnership to be able to ensure that people with CKD in the South West are able to access all the support they need to live their lives to the full.”

Dani Twelvetree, South West Water’s Head of Customer Communication and Engagement, said: “We are delighted to be working with Kidney Care UK and supporting the amazing work they do to improve the quality of life for everyone affected by kidney disease.

“Through our Priority Services Register we are able to provide support, so no customers affected by CKD have the added worry of how they are going to pay their water bill.”

Kidney Care UK is also working with South West Water’s customer-facing teams to help them understand more about CKD, so they can recognise the best ways to support vulnerable customers.

Any South West Water customer who wants to find out more about the Priority Service Register can go to the dedicated webpage here: Priority Services | South West Water Or, for those who find it easier to talk to someone direct, you can call 0344 346 1010, from 8am-6pm Monday to Friday, and 9am-1pm on Saturdays.