Scottish Renal Registry
Annual report 2023

About this release

This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) presents the Scottish Renal Registry (SRR) 2023 annual national report. The SRR aims to improve the care of patients with kidney failure who are treated with kidney replacement therapy (KRT). KRT comprises all patients who are on dialysis or who have a kidney transplant in Scotland. This year the report presents information about the incidence, prevalence, distribution, modality and outcomes of patients receiving KRT for kidney failure in Scotland between 1960 and 31 December 2022. It also includes data relating to COVID-19 and vaccinations in people receiving KRT treatment during the pandemic.

Main points

• In 2022, 597 people (10.9 per 100,000 population) started KRT for kidney failure.
• On 31 December 2022, there were 5,601 prevalent patients receiving KRT, of whom 60.5% had a functioning kidney transplant, 35.5% were being treated with haemodialysis and 4.0% were being treated with peritoneal dialysis.
• A total of 247 patients who were living in Scotland received a kidney transplant in Scotland in 2022. Of these transplants, 23.1% were pre-emptive (performed before the patient had required any other form of KRT) compared with 19.5% in 2021.
• The percentage of kidney transplants functioning at one, five and ten years has generally increased steadily. In 2021, 93.2% of grafts were functioning one year post transplant.
• Vaccination uptake against COVID-19 has fallen in both dialysis and transplant patients, with only 43.8% receiving the 2023 spring booster (30% of dialysis patients, 52% transplant patients).

A stacked area chart showing modality changes in the prevalent KRT population over time. The overwhelming majority of patients currently are transplant patients or receiving hospital HD.

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Figure 1: Prevalent KRT patients on 31 December 1960–2022

Background

The SRR is within the Scottish National Audit Programme, which is part of PHS. The aim of the SRR is to improve the care of patients with kidney failure treated with KRT by systematic and comprehensive analysis, including audits of service provision, clinical management and outcomes. National clinical standards were ratified by the Scottish Renal Association and implemented in 2021 to improve patient care.

Further information

The next release of this publication will be October 2024.