Leicester kidney transplant patient wins research award

A former Emmerdale actor from Leicester who underwent a kidney transplant has scooped an award for his part in research into the condition.

Actor John Savage, who has suffered from kidney problems all his life, received the prize at the UK Kidney Week 2016 conference in Birmingham for presenting findings from a patient involvement study conducted last year.

The aim of the research was to identify questions people have about sport and intensive exercise following their transplant operation.

Researcher Dr Alice Smith (pictured) from the Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, who leads the Leicester Kidney Exercise Team, said: “Many people are keen to participate in sport and exercise but they struggle to find appropriate advice and support about how much they can do. Finding out issues that patients have after their operation was incredibly useful.

“It gives us a starting point for future research which we believe will be vital in helping patients understand their limits and capabilities post-operation.

“The event also helped illustrate the value and importance of involving patients at the earliest stage of the research process to ensure that studies address the genuine needs of the intended user group.”

The team also won awards for developing an education module to help increase patient understanding of how to live a healthy lifestyle with chronic kidney disease, and for its work in creating a self-directed programme to promote physical activity for people with kidney disease in a bid to improve their health.