Professor Donal O'Donoghue OBE

Donal O’Donoghue, 64, died peacefully at the critical care unit of Stepping Hill Hospital, in Stockport, on Sunday night, after battling COVID-19.

This tragic loss will be felt across our community as Donal was a friend to many, and worked tirelessly to drive positive change for patients with kidney disease. He was passionate about professionalism in medicine, innovation and quality improvement in health and care.

Donal qualified in physiology and medicine from Manchester and trained in internal medicine and Nephrology in the East Midlands, north-west, Paris (as a Medical Research Council travelling fellow) and in Edinburgh.

In Manchester, he led the reorganisation of renal services and established the first managed clinical network in England. Donal was the inaugural president of the multi-professional British Renal Society. Between 2006 and 2013, he led the implementation of the Renal National Service Framework as National Director of Kidney Care at the Department of Health.

Donal was president of the Renal Association from 2016 until 2018 and was awarded an OBE for services to kidney patients in 2018.

In addition to clinical duties in Salford, Donal remained active in training and research. He chaired the Greater Manchester, Lancashire and South Cumbria Senate and was Medical Director of Health Innovation Manchester. He was chair of the patient support charity Kidney Care UK.

He is survived by his wife Marie, his three children and his four grandchildren. Our condolences, thoughts, prayers, care and support go out to them at this dark time.

There will be a more detailed obituary summarising Donal's professional achievements added shortly.