After a lifetime of caring, nurse hangs up uniform

Nearly 50 years after beginning her training, a nurse who helped shape renal care in Kent is preparing to hang up her uniform for the final time.

Karen Jenkins has worked with the renal team at East Kent Hospitals for more than 40 years.

The mother-of-two was Canterbury's first renal research nurse and received the British Renal Society's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.

She described her role as "fantastic", adding her favourite moments have been "empowering patients to make informed treatment choices so they could live the life they wanted".

"Kidney disease is a life-long condition for many people. It can be an emotional rollercoaster, for staff as well as the patients," she says.

"We support patients them from dialysis to transplant and beyond, and it can be a tough journey."

Jenkins has coached, mentored and trained many staff members, as well as carrying out research and running her own clinics.

Jenkins wanted to be a nurse from a young age.

She volunteered at her local Isle of Wight hospital from 16 before training at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London in 1978.

After working in renal medicine at St Bartholomew's and haematology at St Thomas', she chose to work in nephrology over oncology, and moved to Kent in 1985 as a ward sister.

Jenkins has seen renal services transform during her career.

When she arrived in Kent, the ward had 26 beds and cared for fewer than 70 dialysis patients.

The East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust (EKHTR) says the team now supports more than 600.

"The fundamentals of dialysis remain the same," she says. "But improved technology has made treatment quicker and more comfortable for patients."

Jenkins the Trust's second consultant nurse, a position she has held for more than 20 years.

She has helped develop services for patients choosing not to have dialysis, as well as anaemia and pre-dialysis care, now part of the advanced kidney care service.

Jenkins plans to spend retirement with her family, including a new grandchild due in September, as well as travelling and sailing.

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