This week marks Organ Donation Week (23 – 29 September) and, together with NHS Blood and Transplant, we’re reflecting on the lifesaving impact of organ donation.
The NHS Organ Donor Register has been saving lives for 30 years through the gift of organ donation. Since its creation in 1994, thousands of lives have been saved thanks to people agreeing to donate their organs after death, many of them confirming their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register.
With more than 11,000 people currently in need of a lifesaving organ transplant across the UK, according to the NHS, it’s vital that people confirm their organ donation decision to save lives.
With the law changing around organ donation, it is important to remember that the soft opt out system means it is assumed that when someone dies in the circumstances where they could be a donor that they agree to donate if they haven’t officially opted out.
However, no-one is automatically added to the Organ Donor Register. You still need to confirm your decision and your family will be consulted before donation goes ahead. Do take a moment to learn more, discuss it with your loved ones, and if you haven’t already, consider registering as an organ donor, if you can.
The Organ Donor Register was set up to promote organ donation and allow people to record their decision to donate. It was the result of a five-year campaign by John Cox and his daughter Christine after their son and brother, Peter, died in 1989. He had asked for his organs to be used to help others.
Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant said:
“Thanks to the Cox family’s relentless campaigning the NHS Organ Donor Register has potentially saved the lives of thousands of people across the UK. This is an incredible legacy for Peter, and we are so very grateful to the whole Cox family for their tireless work over the years which made this possible.
“Thanks to the support of KSS during Organ Donation Week, we can get the message across to more people that organ donation saves lives.
“Every day across the UK thousands of patients and their families are waiting for a life-saving call. But this can often only happen as a result of another family receiving very difficult news and supporting organ donation to help others.
“With more people, both adults and children, waiting for transplants, it’s more important than ever to confirm your organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. We urge everyone to take a moment this Organ Donation Week to register and confirm your decision.”
To find out more and confirm your decision, visit the NHS Organ Donor Register at www.organdonation.nhs.uk. Users of the NHS app, can also use this to record, check or amend their details or decision.
