Dear Friends and Colleagues,

 We are delighted to invite you all to the 54th annual meeting of the European Working Group on Psychosocial Aspects of Children with Chronic Kidney Disease (EWOPA) 4-6th June 2026 in London, UK. This meeting will take place in conjunction with Evelina London Children’s Hospital department of Paediatric Nephrology.

We hope to build on the excellent foundations and experience of all previous successful meetings, including last year's excellent conference in Manchester. This unique non-hierarchical, MDT approach has been vital for the sharing of unique experiences, research, best-practice examples and networking with colleagues, all of whom share a passion for the psycho-social aspects of kidney disease in children.

We welcome doctors, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, educators, psychiatrists, dietitians, social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, researchers, play therapists, healthcare assistants, paramedics, youth-workers, administrators and hospital managers alike. All have something to contribute and learn.  

 We look forward to welcoming you to London. We hope that this meeting will be a great success and anticipate once again a wonderful conference, exchange of ideas and inspirational working practices.

Best wishes,

Shazia Adalat

On behalf of the 
Evelina London Children's Hospital organising committee for EWOPA's Annual meeting 2026

Programme

Conference Venue:
St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, UK

Schedule:

Thursday 4th June 2026

• Conference: 13:30 - 17:30
• Welcome drinks reception: 17:30 onwards

Friday 5th June 2026

• Conference: 08:30 - 17:00
• Evening: EWOPA Gala Dinner & Entertainment
  Venue: EV Restaurant, The Arches, 98 Isabella St, London, SE1 8DD

Saturday 6th June 2026

• Conference: 09:00 - 13:00

Registration and Abstract Submission:

See below! 

Evelina Children's Hospital in the Heart of London: 
A Long Tradition of Holistic  Medical Care for Renal Patients 

The meeting will be hosted in Central London at St Thomas' hospital which is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust (GSTT). It  has been central to the development of kidney research, dialysis and transplantation in the UK for more than 150 years, with key milestones from early kidney disease description in the 1800s that helped found nephrology as a distinct discipline, to one of the country’s first combined dialysis–transplant units in the 1960s.  More recently we marked 50 years of kidney transplantation at Guy’s and St Thomas’!

Our hospitals have also played an important, but more implicit than explicitly documented, role in developing psychosocial care within renal and transplant medicine, mainly through early holistic paediatric care, the growth of multidisciplinary working to include dietitians, play specialists, and the later formalisation of specialist renal psychology, social and support services. When paediatric renal services were developed at Guy’s in the 1960-70s, consultants such as Cyril Chantler argued that for children with renal failure, family dynamics, schooling and long‑term development all had to be considered with equal importance to the medical management. Through participation in national renal associations, quality‑improvement networks and workforce mapping work on psychosocial provision, GSTT colleagues have contributed to wider debates about the need for specialist renal psychology, social work and supportive‑care services for both adults and children with CKD. 

We are proud to be contributing to the ongoing development of psychosocial care for children with kidney disease by hosting the 2026 EWOPA meeting and hope to make this simultaneously the most enjoyable and informative meeting for all our colleagues from Europe who will be joining us!

Accomodation

As we are based in Central London, where hotel accommodation is expensive but commuting is relatively easy, we recognise colleagues attending the conference may want to book further away from the centre and have not recommended any particular hotel. We are happy to make suggestions of areas to find more affordable accommodation if needed. Please get in touch by emailing EWOPA2026@gmail.com

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2nd  January 2026

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Happy New Year! We hope 2026 brings you health, success, and exciting opportunities for collaboration.

We are delighted to announce that registration and abstract submission are now open for the EWOPA 2026 conference, taking place in London this June.

Conference Registration 

Registration is available through the Eventbrite platform 

(https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/54th-annual-ewopa-meeting-tickets-1978826936636). 

We offer flexible options to suit your needs:

• Full conference pass
• Daily attendance rates
• Gala dinner ticket (Friday 5th June) – an evening of celebration, networking, and entertainment

Early-bird rates are available until 31st March 2026 and we encourage you to register early to secure the best rates and guarantee your place.

IMPORTANT: International Travel Requirements
Delegates travelling from outside the UK: As of 1st April 2025, most non-UK visitors require an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to enter the UK. Please apply well in advance of your travel dates.
More information: Apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) - GOV.UK

Abstract Submission 

We warmly invite you to share your research, innovations, and clinical insights with the EWOPA community. To submit:

1. Download the abstract form from here.
2. Complete and email to: EWOPA2026@gmail.com. Deadline: 31st March 2026

This promises to be an outstanding meeting, bringing together the paediatric nephrology community in one of the world's most vibrant cities. We look forward to welcoming you to London and reviewing your valuable contributions.

Warm regards,

London EWOPA organising team