THE number of people donating organs has fallen for the first time in more than a decade, leading to a call for more donors.

According to NHS Blood and Transplant, the five per cent drop is down to fewer people dying in circumstances where they could donate, and no increase in the rate of people signing up to give consent for their organs to be used after death.

Figures from the Organ Donation and Transplantation Activity Report 2014/15 shows there were 4,431 transplants compared with 4,655 in 2013/14.

Of the transplants carried out, 1,092 were made possible by living donors giving a kidney or part of their liver, while 3,339 patients benefitted from organs donated after death.

NHS Blood and Transplant, which published the report, said the consent/authorisation rate remains "stubbornly" below 60per cent, and unless there's a revolution in attitudes to organ donation people, waiting for a transplant will continue to die needlessly.

NHS Blood and Transplant's director of organ donation and transplantation Sally Johnson said: "We are grateful to the families of the 1,282 deceased donors and to each of the 1,092 living donors who made transplants possible last year.

"We have always known that because the opportunities to donate are so small, it is essential to increase the number of people who say yes to organ donation. If the pool of potential donors is reduced this is even more important.

"We understand that families are expected to consider donation in their darkest hour so we would remind everyone to tell those closest to you now if you want to donate your organs, then record that decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register."

She added: "The decreases we see across all types of organ transplant will lead to more deaths if we don't reverse this trend going forward."

Patients awaiting transplants, and their families, are invited to an event in Bradford next week, aimed at finding more donors in minority ethnic communities.

It will be attended by doctors from Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke's Hospital, representatives of NHS Blood and Organ Transplant Donation and former transplant patients who will talk about their experiences. The agenda includes a question-and-answer session and a discussion on ways of boosting organ donation in the South Asian community.

The event is organised by Nadeem Butt who registered as a donor when his friend, Mohammed Rafique Butt, had a transplant in 2013 after suffering from kidney failure, leading to dialysis for several years. Nadeem, an events promoter, launched a campaign raising awareness of organ donation, aimed at Asian communities, and made a documentary in both English and Urdu.

"We received so many messages and emails from people wanting to know more about donor registration," said Nadeem. "The campaign has had very positive feedback and since January last year, it has been estimated more than 1,000 people have registered.

"We hope this meeting will be helpful for everyone - to clear any doubt we have also invited Muslim scholars - and I hope we can hold it at least once a year.

"I am very thankful to Dr John Stove from St Luke's Hospital, who is giving this campaign support. Now we would like to go forward with support of Bradford MPs and councillors."

According to Kidney Research UK, kidney failure is up to five times more common in people from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, yet they make up less than 3.5 per cent of the NHS organ donor register.

The charity trains people in black and Asian communities to spread the word in community venues and places of worship, addressing issues surrounding organ donation and terminal illness.

Nadeem, a muslim, is encouraging members of Bradford's muslim communities to register as potential donors.

"I would like to appeal to all communities, especially muslim communities. Humanity is part of our religion," he said. "God gave us healthy bodies and we have responsibilities as humans. We could save other people's lives by becoming donors.

"We want to make communities more aware so more people will register. We are sending out the message that charity is not only about giving money or clothes, it is also about donating parts of the body to save a life.

* The organ donation awareness event is on Monday, July 27 at Trident Park Lane Centre, opposite St Luke's Hospital, Bradford.

For more information email nadeembutt_3@hotmail.com

* To join the NHS Organ Donor Register visit organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300 123 2323.