11.04.13
45% of families over-ride donors’ wishes – NHSBT
Organ donation has increased by 50% since 2008, with over 1,200 people donating organs in the UK last year.
But NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has urged more people to join the register, to counter the fact that families are over-riding the wishes of people who have died and who wish to donate.
Ministers are currently considering proposals to prevent this, and NHSBT suggests a more firm but polite stance with bereaved relatives could ensure donor’s wishes are respected. They are currently over-ridden in 45% of cases.
NHSBT is calling for a public education programme to encourage donors to inform their family and friends of their intentions, and increase the number of registered donors. It aims to raise the number of consenting families to about 80% in the long-term.
Around a third of people in the UK are on the register, and in Scotland over 40% of the population are donors. The transplant waiting list is around 7,300 at any one time.
The Welsh Government is preparing legislation for a system of presumed consent for donation, where the onus on the public would be to opt out of the register, not in.
The NHSBT said: “Although over half a million people die every year in the UK, fewer than 5,000 people will die in circumstances where they can become an organ donor.
“Most will die in circumstances or from conditions where organ donation is not possible. Ideally everybody should be prepared to donate if they are able to do so and families should support their relatives' wishes.
“As a society we need to recognise that without organ donation there can be no transplantation. Indeed, when a family refuses to support a relative's wish to donate or is unwilling to make the decision on their behalf, another needless death will follow.”
Sally Johnston, NHSBT's director of organ donation, said: “Legally, let us be clear, if you have given consent (for organ donation after death), your family can't overrule it.
“Practically, we have always tended to err on the side of not openly upsetting families. You want families to be proud of their relatives' decision and be happy with it.
“This is partly about getting people to think about donation, talk about it and feel positive about what is really easy for them to do.”
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Image c. Clive Gee/PA Wire