Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is often silent and unnoticed until it’s advanced. SPOT CKD helps catch those quiet early signs—bringing timely, equitable care closer to home for the people who need it most.
When recognition changes everything
In healthcare, some of the most important moments are the quiet ones—the ones where a condition could be spotted early but isn’t. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) rarely knocks on the door with symptoms. It creeps in quietly, often for years, until the damage is done. Because CKD is usually asymptomatic, recognition depends on proactive steps rather than visible signs. - Coding gaps, low awareness, and competing priorities mean opportunities can slip through the cracks. And when those moments are missed, systems lose the chance to act sooner and more equitably.
For the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom, these missed moments matter. They shape how resources are used, how confident clinicians feel, and how equity is delivered across communities. And for patients, they define whether care starts early—or much later.
Why equity is at the heart of this story
CKD doesn’t affect everyone equally. It’s more common in communities already facing health inequalities—in particular areas with socioeconomic challenges and ethnic diversity. That’s why Hampshire and Isle of Wight (HIOW) and North East and North Cumbria (NENC) Integrated Care Boards (ICB) wanted to do something different: to redesign recognition so no early sign goes unnoticed.
In HIOW, the geography encompasses rural market towns, coastal areas including the Isle of Wight, and vibrant and multicultural cities such as Portsmouth and Southampton. For many, navigating the health system can be complex—especially when language, transport, or digital access are barriers. In some areas, shift work or caring responsibilities delay vital tests. For others, cultural norms or limited internet access make it harder to get health information or book appointments.
In the NENC, the Integrated Care System spans one of the largest geographical regions in England, covering urban centers alongside coastal, rural, and post-industrial communities. Strong local identities and community resilience sit alongside significant deprivation and health challenges. Here, data, research, and local insight are being used to deliver fairer outcomes and create opportunities for every community to flourish.
SPOT CKD: Co-creating a new approach
Together with Boehringer Ingelheim, NHS teams in these regions launched SPOT CKD—Screening, Prevention, Outreach, and Treatment for Health Equity. This isn’t a pilot, but a joint working model built on shared ownership. NHS teams set local priorities, Boehringer and the NHS provide the enablers—data insights, training and coordination—and communities shape solutions based on lived experience. Healthcare Innovators across the NHS, Boehringer and partner organisations then bring these plans to life through new technologies and integrated pathways linking primary care with renal specialist services.
Priorities
NHS teams set priorities based on local needs and community health challenges.
Enablers
Boehringer Ingelheim and NHS together provide data insights, training, and coordination.
Outreach
Communities shape solutions based on real-life experience, driving targeted outreach.
Innovation
NHS, Boehringer, and partners lead the adoption of new technologies like digitized, integrated care pathways.
Read the whole piece on Imagine – Boehringer Ingelheim’s sustainability story hub.
