Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the conclusions of the report entitled Transplant care in the UK: a patient perspective, published by Kidney Care UK in July 2024, if he will take steps to ensure people who have received a transplant have access to adequate psychological support.

The Department, NHS England, and NHS Blood and Transplant are working together to implement the recommendations of the Organ Utilisation Group’s 2023 report through the Implementation Steering Group for Organ Utilisation. The recommendations state that psychological and social care support must be available for patients both around the time of transplant, and in follow-up.

In addition, NHS England’s Service Specification for Renal Transplantation mandates that commissioned providers have access to both physiotherapy and psychological support services. NHS England is reviewing all specialised renal service specifications, including the requirements to offer these services. These will be line with the recommendations of NHS England’s Renal Service Transformation Programme (RSTP) toolkit.

The RSTP toolkit aims to support renal providers across England to transform care for patients with kidney disease. It includes ensuring all patients have access to physiotherapy and psychological care. Providers in England are supported by the NHS England commissioned Renal Clinical Networks to implement principles of the toolkit.