Campaign hopes to boost number of organ donors

The first ever UK-wide organ donation campaign which launched on 2 November, run by NHS Blood & Transplant, aiming to promote public awareness about organ donation, and to significantly increase the number of people signing up to the NHS Organ Donor Register.

More than 10,000 people need an organ transplant. More than 1000 die, on average three people a day, every day year before they receive an organ, including 54 last year from the North-West.

In NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale area there are 38 people on the waiting list for an organ transplant. Though there are 41,370 people in the Rochdale area on the organ donation register, equivalent to 20% of the Borough population, this is below the national average of 27%. Despite the campaigns and more people becoming organ donors, the need for organ transplants is increasing.

Research shows 96 per cent of people say they would accept an organ if needed but only 25 per cent of people across the North-West are on the organ donor register.

Lynda Hamlyn, chief executive of NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Many people have told us that they just need a nudge to motivate them to join the organ donor register and commit to helping someone live after their death.

“By focusing on the gap between the number of us who say we would accept an organ if we needed one and the number who have actually joined the register, our campaign highlights the urgent need for those who believe in organ donation to act now. More transplants were carried out last year than ever before, but the need for organs never stops.

“If you believe in organ donation, please register today and let those closest to you know that you have done so.”
Currently, the UK has one of the lowest rates of organ donations in Western Europe and compared to the USA: 12.9 per 1m population in the UK. Spain (35.5 / 1m), USA (26.9), France (23.2), Italy (21.7), The Netherlands (17.8) and Germany (15.3), amongst others, all have higher deceased organ donor rates than the UK.