New UK strategy to match world class performance in organ donation and transplantation
A strategy to achieve world class performance in organ donation and transplantation, ‘Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020 - a UK Strategy’ is launched today (Thursday 11 July) with the backing of the four UK health ministers. It sets the agenda for increasing organ donation and transplantation rates to world class standards over the next seven years and builds on success in increasing deceased donation rates by 50% since 2008.
The aims of the strategy are to:
- Improve consent/authorisation rates to organ donation to above 80% (currently 57%)
- Bring the UK deceased donor rate up to 26 per million of the population (currently 19pmp)
- Transplant 5% more of the organs offered from consented, actual donors (currently 92% of actual donors result in at least one organ transplant)
- Increase the number of patients receiving a transplant to 74 per million of the population (currently 49pmp)
John Pattullo, Chairman of NHS Blood and Transplant, the organisation that manages the process of organ donation across the UK, said: “This is a bold and ambitious strategy that will give more people a realistic chance of receiving a life-saving or life-enhancing transplant.
“Despite recent success we know more must be done to address the shortage of donated organs across the UK.
“The strategy calls for a revolution in public attitudes and behaviours, emphasising the importance of individuals and their families agreeing to donate when and if they can.”
Lynda Hamlyn, Chief Executive of NHSBT said: “I am proud that NHSBT played a key role in increasing deceased donation rates by 50% from 2008 to this year. We need to harness the energy and enthusiasm that achieved this historic increase and use the momentum created to achieve the ambitious goals set out in our new strategy.
“We developed these goals in collaboration with doctors and nurses from donor hospitals, NHSBT staff, retrieval and transplant clinicians, professional bodies, voluntary organisations, patient groups, commissioners and regulators and the four UK government health departments.
“This gives me confidence that we can deliver on the strategy’s aim to ensure that the three people a day who are dying due to lack of a suitable available organ will have a greater chance of a transplant operation and that we match world-class performance in organ donation and transplantation by 2020.”
Sally Johnson, Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHSBT said: “The support for developing the new strategy from all parties, politicians, clinicians, NHS staff, patient groups and the public has been amazing.
“There was an overwhelming recognition that a revolution in public attitudes to organ donation is essential if the UK is to ever match the best in the world. There has been tremendous progress over the last five years and more lives have been saved but there is a limit to what more the NHS can do without a change in attitude in the UK because the overall percentage of people consenting to donate their organs has not increased.
“We urgently need a radical change in donor and family consent. Almost everyone would take an organ if they needed one but only 57% of families agreed to donation when they were asked.
“Fewer than 5,000 people a year die in circumstances where they can donate, so we want everyone to be proud to donate when and if they can. That means we need to have a serious debate in our society about our attitudes, is it fair to take if you won’t give? Is it acceptable that three people die a day in need of an organ? Is it right to allow our organs to be buried or cremated with us when they could save or improve the lives of up to nine people? Why when the majority agree with donation, don’t we act?”
A summary of the strategy is available to download at: www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/to2020
To join the NHS Organ Donor Register visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300 123 2323 or text DONATE to 62323.
It’s also important to talk to those closest to you about your organ donation wishes.
