NHSBT And Facebook Join Forces To Boost Organ Donation

A new collaboration to help boost the number of people on the Organ Donor Register was announced today by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and Facebook.

Facebook's new Timeline enables people to post key life events and milestones to their profile. From today, by clicking a new health and wellbeing button, this can include their intention to become an organ donor - with the added benefit of sharing that information with friends and family.

NHSBT already uses social media to engage with wide audiences and people can register to be an organ donor on NHSBT's Facebook page. The new initiative means people can log their support for organ donation on their Facebook Timeline and, if they wish, click through to NHSBT's Facebook page to officially register.

People who use Facebook will not have officially registered their wishes unless they sign-up to the ODR. But even if they don't actually register, they will still be sharing their views with friends and family which is a crucial part of organ donation. Over 30 million people in the UK use Facebook.

NHSBT's Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation, Sally Johnson, said: "We need more people to sign up to the register and share their wishes with their friends and family, our job is to make that as quick and easy as possible. This is an exciting new way to use the power of social media to reach a huge audience and encourage people to think about it, act, and share that information."

Evidence shows only 50% of those who wish to donate organs after death let their families know. Relatives who know about wishes to donate are 50% more likely to agree to donation. Each time consent is given for organ donation, this can save or improve the lives of up to nine people.

Currently around 10,000 people need a transplant in the UK and three people die every day waiting.

(CD/GK)