11/04/2013

50% Rise In Organ Donation Since 2008

There has been a 50% rise in organ donation since 2008.

In 2012 some 3,100 transplants were carried out after more than 1,200 people in the UK donated their organs.

However the number of people registered for organ donation has remained unchanged, the increase in donations has been largely credited to the network of specialist nurses who approach and support bereaved relatives in hospitals.

The NHS Blood and Transplant service is still asking people to sign up.

Sally Johnson, from NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "The NHS has worked hard to ensure every potential donor is identified, that the organ donation register is checked, and that families are approached.

"But the NHS can't do it on its own. We need a transformation in donor and family consent because the UK's family refusal rate remains one of the highest in Europe."

(H/CD)


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