Dialysis nurse to take on Silverstone pit crew to boost renal awareness
A retired renal nurse is set to compete with a motor-racing pit crew at this year’s Silverstone festival to see who can get their job done faster.
Dialysis nurse John Torode, who worked at Addenbrookes Hospital before he retired, will be on the My Motor World Stage at the festival on Sunday 27 August at the same time as a pit crew from Andrew Jordan Racing.
“Activities like these are just so much fun but also hold a really important lesson for everyone watching”
John Torode
Mr Torode will be racing against the pit crew to see if he can hook up a dialysis machine to a dummy arm before they have changed all four wheels on a race car.
The race forms part of a kidney failure awareness campaign being run at this year’s Silverstone festival by the charity Kidney Research UK.
It is intended to highlight the advances that have been made in motor racing technology over the past 60 years, in contrast to kidney failure treatments such as dialysis which have largely remained the same over that period.
Chief executive of Kidney Research UK Sandra Currie said: “Dialysis has been around since the 1950s, but unfortunately has not seen the same level of innovation that has enabled such amazing advancements in speed, safety and efficiency within the motoring world.
“As much as this challenge is fun and entertaining, it will also show how much more research is needed so that we can follow in the footsteps of those incredible people who have transformed motor racing into the advanced sport it is today,” she said.
Mr Torode said: “Activities like these are just so much fun but also hold a really important lesson for everyone watching.
John Torode
“People won’t necessarily know about how complicated and important it is to set up a dialysis machine properly and I think the realities will shock people.
He said: “The fact is that people simply don’t know enough about kidney disease unless it affects them or someone they know.
“I really hope this challenge will make people think about kidney disease and the challenges that face patients when they go on dialysis.”
The event will be presented by host of the BBC programme Bargain Hunt, Danny Sebastian. In addition, kidney patients and clinicians will take to the stage to give their perspectives on the condition and its challenges.
Throughout the festival, information about milestones in kidney research will be posted next to classic cars, and visitors will be encouraged to stay hydrated and take a free kidney health check to see if they might be at risk of the condition.
A fun run will take place on Friday 25 August to raise money for Kidney Research UK. Runners will be able to take to the famous Silverstone track for a 5km run, raising money for vital research into kidney disease.
According to the report Kidney disease: A UK public health emergency, published by Kidney Research UK in June this year, an estimated 7.2 million people in the UK are currently living with kidney disease, of whom 3.25 million are suffering from stages 3-5 chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Around 30,000 people in the UK currently depend on regular dialysis treatment, which can involve hospital visits 3 times a week for up to 4 hours at a time, at an estimated cost to the NHS of £34,000 per year per patient.
Despite the significant burden of kidney disease to patients and the health service, kidney disease received only 1.4% of relevant public healthcare research funding at just £17.7m in the financial year 2021-22, according to the Kidney Research UK report.
