For Diaverum, the promise to provide life-enhancing renal care For Life is not defined only by how we respond in a single moment; it is defined by what is already in place before a crisis occurs — the systems, training, teams and decisions that allow care to continue seamlessly. On Monday 28 April 2025, the teams in Spain and Portugal delivered on this promise, when a widespread power blackout affected the Iberian Peninsula, with limited disruption also reported in parts of southern France. Their response, which ensured uninterrupted dialysis care for thousands of patients, earned them the 2025 Diaverum For Life Award, recognising their outstanding preparedness, resilience and commitment to patients.
As the blackout rippled across both countries — disrupting transport, communications and critical infrastructure — inside the walls of our clinics, daily routines continued. Treatments went ahead as needed. Maintaining continuity at a moment when both countries experienced a total blackout reflects something fundamental about our organisation: the preparedness built into how we operate, and the trust patients and health systems place in us as a renal care provider.
In Spain and Portugal, this kind of readiness is built into what it means to be trusted with dialysis care — long before the first patient walks through the door – and what led to them being recognised as the first-ever regional winners in the Diaverum Awards.
This story is told in two voices - Sofia Correia de Barros, Portugal Country Manager, and José María Ordóñez Martí-Aguilar, VP LATAM & Spain Country Manager - who were on the ground as this unprecedented situation unfolded.
Sofia's story
It was by chance that I was in one of our clinics in Lisbon for a meeting when the blackout began, just after midday. The realisation came in stages. At first, we assumed it was a local issue - an internet connectivity problem causing colleagues to drop out of the call. It didn’t take long, however, to understand that this was something far more serious.
Very quickly, it became clear that we were dealing with a widespread power outage affecting the entire country. Indeed, the blackout was so complete that communication with clinics from a central point was impeded. It was an unprecedented and deeply concerning situation to be in. And yet, while the circumstances were extraordinary, our response was not improvised. The management team moved to the nearest clinic and we started to manage the whole operation, adjusting decisions as challenges and new data came along.
Because of the preparation already in place, clinics moved immediately into the protocols they are trained to follow. We run weekly checks on generators and emergency systems to ensure readiness, and those systems were activated without delay. Backup power came online, and teams adjusted treatment schedules to ensure all 2,000 patients across our clinics scheduled for the day received the life-sustaining dialysis they needed. As a result, all but one of our clinics (Mem Martins) were able to continue delivering treatment as planned. Where additional support was required, patients were transported to nearby clinics so that care could continue without interruption.
In Portugal, this level of readiness reflects what it means to be trusted with dialysis care. Dialysis services operate within nationally defined standards that place continuity, preparedness and patient safety at their core. Providers work under a national convention with the health service, where continuity of care is monitored continuously.
While preparation gave us the foundation, it was our people’s judgement and willingness to step up that carried us through the uncertainty. Transport itself was operating, but with door entry systems down, many patients could not even be reached by ambulance crews. So colleagues used their own cars to collect patients and bring them to the clinic, often climbing several flights of stairs to escort them down safely. For patients without mobile phones, staff carried out individual welfare checks to ensure they were safe.
One moment has stayed with me. The Lumiar clinic administrator (the centre that received patients from Mem Martins), despite not being directly involved in treatment that day, refused to leave until she knew every single patient had returned home safely. She was one of the last to leave the clinic. That moment captured something fundamental. Care is not confined to the dialysis chair. It is revealed in the quiet decisions people make to take responsibility for others — especially when no one is watching.
As with any situation of this scale, it was important to reflect on what we learned and how those lessons could be carried forward. One conversation stood out. When I contacted Civil Protection to ask for assistance, it became clear that the person I spoke to had little awareness of dialysis or chronic kidney disease. It reinforced for me how important our presence is beyond the clinic walls - in education, awareness and engagement with the communities we serve. Understanding renal care before a crisis matters just as much as responding during one, and it’s a responsibility we carry every day.
Looking back on the day, what stands out to me most is that we were able to meet the needs of an unprecedented moment because we had prepared for the unexpected. That preparation gave us the foundation, but it was people’s resourcefulness, care and willingness to step in that carried us through. That’s what For Life looks like - built into how we work every day, guided by a shared belief in responsibility, trust and doing what is right for patients. It’s this combination of readiness and humanity that makes Diaverum such a special place to be. That, for me, is what For Life truly means.
José María's story
I was working from home when the blackout began. I was in a meeting when the internet failed and the electricity went out. At first, I stepped outside to understand what was happening. I got into my car and switched on the radio — and when there was no signal there either, it became clear very quickly that this was something serious.
My first thought was our clinics - and our patients. At the time, we were operating 47 clinics across Spain (53 as of March 2026) spread over a wide geographical area. I was concerned, but I was also reassured by one thing: the way our network is built. In a situation like this, it isn’t central leadership that keeps care moving. It’s what has already been planned, tested and embedded at clinic level.
The blackout that unfolded was one of the largest and fastest grid collapses in recent European memory, affecting millions across the Iberian Peninsula. Outside our clinics, everyday life was visibly disrupted - transport stopped, communications failed, and basic services were interrupted. Yet for our patients, the day looked remarkably normal.
That is not a coincidence. It reflects a model of preparedness that exists precisely because renal care cannot be paused. Our clinics are designed to operate safely even when external systems fail. Generators are not just installed; they are maintained, tested and treated as critical infrastructure. Fuel availability is planned. Teams are trained to act with autonomy. And contingency protocols are built around one central question: how do we protect continuity of care when there is no certainty about what comes next?
On the day itself, central coordination was heavily impeded. Communication came back in fragments — sometimes one clinic at a time, sometimes entire regions. But the most important work had already happened. Clinics had already activated emergency systems, adapted treatment plans, and prioritised the patients who could least afford to miss a session.
There were moments when we had no visibility at all - and that is precisely when you understand whether a culture is truly embedded in an organisation or merely described in documents.
What I found most striking was not only the clarity of judgement across the country, but the quiet sense of responsibility that teams assumed without hesitation. Teams reduced shifts and reorganised schedules to ensure the highest number of patients could be treated safely. They prioritised those who had missed treatment over the weekend. And they ensured that, even under pressure, care remained structured and clinically safe.
When I was finally able to speak with clinics throughout the day, what I heard repeatedly was calm professionalism. That mattered to me, because in Spain, continuity is not only a clinical expectation — it is part of the trust we must earn as partners of the public health system. The ability to deliver dialysis in any circumstance is built into what it means to be credible, sustainable, and ready to grow.
And yet, behind that professionalism were moments that reminded me what this organisation is really made of - a shared commitment that goes beyond role or hierarchy.
It showed in the decisions teams made without being asked. In the way clinics reorganised schedules calmly, prioritised the most vulnerable patients, and kept communication flowing locally when national systems failed. It showed in the quiet determination of colleagues who found solutions where none were obvious, ensuring patients arrived safely, treatments continued, and no one was left behind.
I am proud that this response has been recognised through the For Life Award, because it reflects what the category truly represents. Not the ability to react in a dramatic moment, but the discipline of building systems that hold - and people who can be relied upon - long before the crisis arrives.
In the end, the blackout became a stress test of everything that is normally invisible: preparation, governance, maintenance, autonomy, and trust. And it proved that our ability to deliver care is not dependent on perfect conditions. It is built on a culture designed to endure, especially without them.
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