Kidney transplant
Ideally, a kidney transplant should be performed when tests show that the extent of damage to your kidneys is so great that you'll need dialysis within the next six months.
However, because of the lack of available kidneys, it's unlikely you'll receive a kidney donation at this time, unless a family member or friend who has a similar tissue type is willing to make a living donation.
Most people with kidney failure need dialysis while they wait for a donated kidney to become available.
The average time a person spends on the waiting list for a kidney transplant is two to three years, although it can be shorter or longer than this.
Demand for donations from recently deceased people far outstrips supply, so there are strict but necessary guidelines about how donations are allocated.
Children and young adults are generally given priority if a matched donation becomes available, as they'll most likely gain a longer-term benefit from a transplant.
For older adults, a scoring system is used to determine who should get a donation. The score is based on factors such as how long you've been on the waiting list and how well matched the donor is in terms of tissue type, blood group and age.
If you're on the waiting list for a kidney, the transplant centre will need to contact you at short notice once a kidney becomes available, so you must inform staff if there are any changes to your contact details.
You should also inform staff if there are changes to your health – for example, if you develop an infection.
While waiting for a donated kidney to become available, it's important to stay as healthy as possible by:
Make sure you always have an overnight bag ready for when the call comes, and make arrangements with friends, family and work so you can go to the transplant centre as soon as a donor kidney becomes available.
A kidney transplant is the transfer of a healthy kidney from one person into the body of a person who has little or no kidney function. The main role of the kidneys is to filter waste products from the blood and convert them to urine.
Ideally, a kidney transplant should be performed when tests show that the extent of damage to your kidneys is so great that you'll need dialysis within the next six months. Most people with kidney failure need dialysis while they wait for a donated kidney to become available.
When a suitable donor kidney is found, the transplant centre will contact you. Staff at the centre will check you don't have any new medical problems and  then ask you to go to the centre. The kidney transplant procedure involves three main stages
Lifestyle advice is usually recommended to help you stay healthy after a kidney transplant. You should quit smoking, avoid eating foods that carry a high risk of food poisoning, start doing moderate-intensity exercise every week, etc
Although rates of serious complications have fallen sharply in the last few decades, kidney transplants like any other type of surgery are not risk-free. The risks of a kidney transplant include: risks related to the procedure itself, risks related to the use of immunosuppressant medications, etc.