People in Oxfordshire encouraged to confirm their decision to save lives this Organ Donation Week

This Organ Donation Week (Monday 23 - Sunday 29 September), Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) and NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) are celebrating 30 years of helping to improve and save lives through the gift of organ donation.

Since the creation of the NHS Organ Donor Register in 1994, thousands of lives have been saved thanks to people agreeing to donate their organs after death by confirming their decision on the register. 

There were 23 patients – including adults and children – who donated their organs after death at the John Radcliffe Hospital in the 2022/23 financial year, helping 63 people of all ages in need of a transplant. There is a decrease in the number of proceeding organ donors compared to the previous years at the OUH, yet the potential donor rate has remained the same. 

However, more people than ever before are in need for a life-saving transplant across the UK, with more than 7,600 people on the active waiting list, including, as of Wednesday 31 July 2024, 91 in Oxfordshire – so it is vital that people confirm their organ donation decision to save lives.

A total of 312,808 people in the county have already declared their decision through the register, which is the best way for their family to know what they want. Approximately 90% of these have registered to 'opt in'.

Nine out of 10 families would support organ donation if their loved one had confirmed their decision on the register.

To find out more and confirm your decision, visit the NHS Organ Donor Register. Users of the NHS app can also use this to record, check or amend their details or decision. 

Hannah Corrigan, a Specialist Nurse in Organ Donation (SNOD) at OUH, said: "Confirming your decision to donate on the NHS Organ Donor Register makes it clear to your family that you want to be an organ donor, leaving them certain of your decision at what is a difficult and emotional time. We need more people in Oxfordshire and across the country to confirm their decision on the register today in order to save more lives now and in the future."

Following a change in the law in 2020, it is assumed that when someone dies in the circumstances where they could be a donor, that they agree to donate if they haven't officially opted out. However, no one is automatically added to the Organ Donor Register. You still need to confirm your decision and your family will be consulted before donation goes ahead.

The Organ Donor Register was set up to promote organ donation and allow people to record their decision to donate. It was the result of a five-year campaign by John Cox and his daughter Christine after their son and brother, Peter, died in 1989. He had asked for his organs to be used to help others.

Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation for NHSBT, said: "Thanks to the support of Oxford University Hospitals during Organ Donation Week, we can get the message across to more people that organ donation saves lives. Every day across the UK thousands of patients and their families are waiting for a life-saving call. But this can often only happen as a result of another family receiving very difficult news and supporting organ donation to help others. With more people, both adults and children, waiting for transplants, it's more important than ever to confirm your organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. We urge everyone to take a moment this Organ Donation Week to register and confirm your decision."

Dr Elaine Hill, Chair of the Organ Donation Committee and Deputy Chief Medical Officer said: "We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the generous donors who have made life-saving and life-changing donations possible. We encourage everyone to take a moment to considering registering as an organ donor and to express their wishes to their loved ones. Your decision can give the precious gift of life to those in need. We appreciate the dedication and commitment of the teams – the Critical Care Units, ED, Theatres, Clinical Leads for Organ Donations (CLODs), and Specialist Nurses for Organ Donations (SNODs). Thank you for the compassionate conversations with the families and friends of the deceased, ensuring that their wishes to donate are honoured."