Oxford NHS trust urges people to consider organ donation

This Organ Donation Week, which runs from September 23 to 29, OUH and NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) are marking three decades of the NHS Organ Donor Register, which was created in 1994.

Since then, thousands of lives have been saved by individuals who agreed to donate their organs after death.

People in Oxfordshire are being encouraged to declare their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register (Image: NHS) In the 2022/23 financial year, 23 patients, including adults and children, donated their organs after death at the John Radcliffe Hospital, helping 63 people in need of a transplant.

Though there has been a decrease in the number of organ donors at OUH compared to previous years, the potential donor rate has remained the same.

However, the need for life-saving transplants is higher than ever before, with more than 7,600 people on the active waiting list across the UK, including 91 in Oxfordshire as of July 31.

Hannah Corrigan, a specialist nurse in organ donation 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."

A total of 312,808 people in the county have already declared their decision through the register, with approximately 90 per cent opting in.

Anthony Clarkson, director of organ and tissue donation and transplantation for NHSBT, said: "Thanks to the support of OUH 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.

"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, added: "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."