Provincial Committee Structure

BC Renal and the health authority renal programs (HARPs or “regional renal programs”) collaborate and co-plan through a range of provincial committees and professional groups that are part of the renal network. The majority of the committees have interdisciplinary representatives from each health authority as well as patient partners, committee chair, vice-chair, and support staff from BC Renal.

BC Renal and these committees and groups use their expertise and knowledge of the geographic regions in BC to improve kidney care service delivery and outcomes. They collaboratively prioritize and develop initiatives to address common challenges and find opportunities to improve patient care. Ideally, provincial initiatives are championed by committee members and consistently implemented by regional renal programs.

Committee and group work results in a variety of initiatives aimed at addressing the challenges of kidney disease, including:

  • Improvements in early diagnosis and intervention
  • Treatment options
  • Fiscal sustainability

Provincial Committee Structure

  • Multidisciplinary committees & multiple working groups
  • Cross-Health Authorities and Patient Partner Representation
  • Annual Work Plans with Clear Deliverables
  • Research Evaluation and Continuous Quality Improvement

Working Groups and Committees

  • BCR
    Executive Committee

    • BC Renal Administrators

      • Hemodialysis Emergency Support Team

    • Emergency Management Planning Committee

      • Hemodialysis Emergency Support Team

    • Kidney Services Infrastructure and Capacity Planning Committee

      • Equipment Funding Allocation Subcommittee

    • Glomerulonephritis Network Committee

    • Hemodialysis Committee

      • Hemodialysis Technical Group

      • Renal Educators Group

      • Vascular Access Educator Group

    • Home Hemodialysis Committee

      • Home Hemodialysis Educator Group

    • Kidney Care Committee

    • Medical Advisory Group

    • Palliative Care Committee

    • Patient and Family Engagement Committee

    • Peritoneal Dialysis Committee

      • Peritoneal Dialysis Nurses Group

    • Pharmacy Services Committee

    • PROMIS Executive Steering Committee

  • Provides direction to BC’s regional health authority renal programs to ensure consistent delivery of services across the province

  • Develops and updates a provincial emergency management and business continuity plan that results in a comprehensive and integrated response to major emergencies and disasters impacting the regional renal programs

  • Facilitates the planning process and recommends priorities for capital facilities and equipment acquisition

  • Developed the GN network and registry with the goals of improving both our understanding of GN, and treatment for this subset of kidney patients

  • Provides a forum for discussion, development, revision, approval, and facilitation of policies, procedures, protocols, and guidelines that will support excellence in the provision of hemodialysis care in both hospital and community hemodialysis units across BC

  • Enhances and fosters excellence in the delivery of independent hemodialysis (home or facility-based) in British Columbia.
  • Develops provincial strategies to optimize high quality independent hemodialysis and safe equitable patient care

  • Provides guidance to the regional renal programs regarding all aspects of kidney disease by facilitating the development of provincial standards, guidelines, tools, resources and quality indicators

  • Provides advice and counsel on the practice of nephrology on behalf of BC Renal, to nephrology colleagues (physician and non-physician), health authorities and other interested parties

  • A team of seven including BC Renal’s executive director and the five medical directors of BC’s regional health authority renal programs  
  • Serves as a hub for decision-making and action with a role officially described as critical for the integrated and safe functioning of kidney services provincially and regionally

  • Provides guidance to health authority renal programs to support patients living with chronic kidney disease have access to high-quality comprehensive and well-integrated renal palliative care.
  • Develops provincial strategies to advance a palliative approach to renal care and effective symptom management. Serves as a hub for decision-making and action with a role officially described as critical for the integrated and safe functioning of kidney services provincially and regionally

  • Composed of patient and family partners as well as representatives from the BC Renal leadership team, provincial core committees and the health authority renal programs
  • Works to advance patient and family engagement within BC Renal and beyond

  • Enhances and fosters excellence in the delivery of peritoneal dialysis throughout the province
  • Develops provincial strategies to optimize peritoneal dialysis as a patient centered, evidence-informed and cost-effective dialysis treatment option

  • Provides guidance to the regional renal programs with respect to medication and drugs appropriate for renal patients 
  • Facilitates medication best practices across BC

  • Members serve as champions, advisors, provincial consensus builders, endorsers, and conflict resolvers, to ensure PROMIS is a robust integrated registry and clinical information system for kidney disease and transplant patients
  • With a focus on patient safety and better patient care, uses a consensus based approach to make decisions

  • ​​A provincial multidisciplinary advisory group that promotes consistent business practices across health authorities and supports the use of high-quality data for patient care, program operations, quality improvement, planning, and provincial reporting. The group collaborates to identify workflow issues, validate reporting requirements, suggest or inform application enhancements, and standardize practices across health authorities as applicable – all to help ensure that PROMIS supports clinical, operational, quality improvement, and planning needs for renal and transplant programs.​​​

  • Functions as an advisory body to its members and to the provincial renal community regarding programs, policies and guidelines that influence the care of BC kidney patients

  • The Equipment Funding Allocation Subcommittee facilitates the processes for planning provincial equipment needs, reviewing and prioritizing equipment requests, submitting recommendations for approval, and tracking and reconciling associated funding approvals.

  • The Hemodialysis Emergency Support Team (HEST) is dedicated to enhancing the response to climate-related emergencies affecting patient care. A structured approach ensures effective management during such crises.

  • Provides support and expertise in technical matters, and interaction with suppliers, to:
    • the Hemodialysis Committee
    • the health authority renal programs
    • BC Clinical and Support Services (BCCSS) Society (formerly HSSBC)

  • Provides support and expertise to facilitate the achievement of patient independence in hemodialysis
  • Enhances educational support through the development of provincial approaches to care and training

  • Provides support and expertise to enhance and foster excellence in the delivery of Peritoneal Dialysis (home or facility based) as an achievable form of independent dialysis through educational processes and supportive networking

  • Provides a forum for sharing information, ideas and information amongst renal pharmacists and serves as an advocacy group for optimizing health in kidney patients through pharmaceutical and seamless care

  • Works to improve vascular access care across BC by developing provincial standards and tools and supporting system changes

  • Provides a forum for supporting evidence-informed nutrition, advancing renal dietetic practice, and promoting optimal nutritional health for people with chronic kidney disease in BC

  • Provides a forum for the advancement of high quality, standardized hemodialysis nursing using the principles of evidenced-based, outcome-focused and client-centered care

  • Advances BC Renal network social work practice, education, processes, guidelines and research initiatives for optimal psychosocial and kidney care

Visit our website for information on professional groups and detailed terms of reference for committees and working groups.