Bradford families urged to talk about organ donation

The numbers were revealed at the start of this year’s Organ Donation Week as Bradford Teaching Hospitals gave its backing to a national appeal for families to talk about their wishes.

Despite 121 Bradford people getting transplant help in the past 12 months, hundreds of transplants are being missed around the country every year because families are not aware of their relative’s wishes, according to NHS Blood and Transplant.

A recent NHS survey has shown more than 80 per cent of people support organ donation but only around half of them have ever talked about it.

Research also showed women were 30 per cent more likely than men to ever start a conversation about it.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals’ clinical lead for organ donation, Dr Andrew Baker said: “We’re proud to support this lifesaving appeal and it’s really easy for everyone to take part – just have a chat.

“That chat might be the next time you sit down for a meal, when you are shopping or working, or when you are just driving in the car.

“If you want to be a donor, your family’s support is still needed for donation to go ahead, even if you are on the NHS Organ Donor Register.”

During Organ Donation Week, NHS Blood and Transplant, hospitals, charities and supporters of organ donation are encouraging people everywhere to talk about organ donation with their relatives and friends.

Families who agree to donation say it helps with their grief and that they feel an enormous sense of pride at knowing their relative gave others the chance of a new beginning.

Anthony Clarkson, assistant director of organ donation and transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “We are really grateful for Bradford Teaching Hospitals’ support because hundreds of lives are being lost every year.

“This Organ Donation Week, tell your family you want to save lives. A few words now can make an extraordinary difference. It will also make things much easier for your family to make the right decision.

“If you are unsure about donation, please ask yourselves as a family: what would you do if one of you needed a transplant? Would you accept a life-saving organ? If you’d take an organ, shouldn’t you be prepared to donate?”

There is a particular need for more black and Asian people to talk about donation. Patients from these communities make up 29 per cent of the national transplant waiting list but according to NHS research they are less likely to agree to donate. Organs from people from the same ethnic background are more likely to be a close match and give the best chance of a positive outcome, says NHS Blood and Transplant.