The period 2013/14 was another record year for organ donation and transplantation in the UK, with more than 4,600 transplants carried out. The figures show a 10% increase in the overall number of living and deceased donor transplants performed in the last financial year.
The Organ Donation and Transplantation Activity Report 2013/14 shows 1,146 of the transplants were made possible by living donors who gave a kidney or part of their liver. Organs donated by deceased donors resulted in 3,509 deceased donor transplants; 540 patients became donors after circulatory death and 780 after brain stem death.
Despite the increases in the number of people benefitting from a transplant, around three people die each day across the UK due to a shortage of organs. A huge challenge remains around family consent/authorisation for donation. Last year, four out of ten families said no to donation when approached.
There are a number of factors influencing family consent/authorisation rates. These include whether the patient was on the Organ Donor Register; whether the potential donor had previously made their wishes known to their family; who makes the approach to the family within the hospital and the timing of that approach; and the family’s ethnic background.
The Potential Donor Audit for 2013/14 (published within the Organ Donation and Transplantation Report 2013/14) reveals:
- Overall, 59% of families approached about organ donation in UK hospitals said yes to donation.
- Only 45% of families agree to organ donation going ahead if they are unaware of their loved one’s decision to be a donor but this figure rises to 95% when they know the decision.
- 67% of families agreed to organ donation going ahead when a specialist nurse in organ donation was involved in the approach. When a specialist nurse in organ donation was not involved the consent/authorisation rate was only 34%.
- Just over a third (36%) of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic families approached about organ donation said yes in 2013/14. 63% of white families said yes when approached.
Dr Paul Murphy, National Clinical Lead in Organ Donation at NHS Blood and Transplant said: “The biggest challenge remains family consent and everyone has a part to play in overcoming this. Every hospital will have people in their community in need of a transplant, and it is vital that they work with their donation committees to ensure that the benefits of donation and transplantation are promoted within their hospitals and in local communities.
“It was encouraging to see organ donation activity increase again last year and we are grateful to all the hard work of staff in all the acute hospital Trusts and Health Boards across the UK for their support for donation. However, we can’t afford to be complacent as there are currently around 7,000 people waiting for a transplant in the UK. The reality is that some of them will die before they get the lifesaving transplant they desperately need.
“Worryingly, early signs from this year so far are showing that organ donation may no longer be increasing. We need to ensure that we keep going forwards. We appreciate that many hospitals are under pressure: donation committees and hospital clinical leads need to make sure that organ donation remains high on the agenda if we are to make the most of every donation opportunity. We ask clinicians to always consider the possibility of donation, not least because the benefits to recipients, donor families and society as a whole are so very great.”
The full Organ Donation and Transplantation Activity Report 2013/14 can be viewed via:
http://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/statistics/transplant_activity_report
