THE partner of a much-loved nurse who tragically died following a brain heamorrhage is urging people to speak to their family about organ donation.

Malcolm Rogers' call comes as new figures reveal that the number of donors in Bradford has jumped from 116,325 to 152,345 over a seven-year period.

Despite the increase in those wishing to become organ donors after their death, more people are still needed to join the Organ Donor Register.

Nationally, three people still die a day in need of a transplant and there are still about 95 people in the district on the transplant waiting list currently. Family support is needed for organ donation to go ahead.

There is also a particular need for people from Asian and black backgrounds to register.

Mr Rogers, chairman of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's organ donation committee, has spoken of his own experience.

His partner of 15 years, Hilary Shoesmith, 58, who worked as a nurse in Bradford for much of her career, died back in 2017.

Mr Rogers, 60, said Hilary was a "strong believer" in organ donation and they'd had the conversation in the past.

"That's one of the important messages," he said. "What we are trying to do is to encourage people to sign up and talk to their family about it."

He said it was some solace out of a tragic situation.

Dr Andy Baker,,clinical lead for organ donation at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Organ donation is being able to give someone else the gift of life. One organ donor has the potential to save nine lives, which is an amazing legacy to leave behind.

“This Valentine’s Day, I would urge people throughout the city to sit down and talk about organ donation with their families and loved ones, so that your wishes are clear.

“Many people don’t realise that their family’s support is needed for organ donation to go ahead, so this Valentine’s Day, share your decision with your loved one.

“If you've never talked to your partner or your family about your decision to be a donor, they will not know you want to save lives and you could leave them guessing what you would have wanted at a difficult time. Or it might come as a surprise that you have registered your decision to save lives, making it hard to support your decision to donate.

“Every year, organs go to waste because relatives aren't sure what their loved one wanted. If more people join the NHS Organ Donor Register and talk to their families, more lives will be saved, as more families will agree to support their loved one’s decision to donate. So please talk it over with them today.”

This year to date, in Bradford, 39 people received a new kidney, six received a new liver and a further 26 received new corneas.

Raz Igasan, specialist nurse for organ donation at Bradford Teaching Hospitals and NHS Blood and Transplant, added: “We are very grateful to these people and their families who have donated organs. They should find comfort in their generous donations have saved or improved the lives of people here in Bradford this year.

“We would also appeal to our South Asian community to come forward and sign up to our Organ Donor Register as this section of our population has much longer to wait for a transplant due to blood group and tissue matching differences - despite being four times more likely to need a kidney transplant due to their genetic predisposition to suffer from kidney disease and kidney failure 2.

“If an organ comes from an Asian donor, there is a better chance of success if the blood group and tissues match, so I would appeal to people in the Asian community to consider joining the organ donor register today, discuss it openly with your family this Valentine’s Day, so you can fulfil your wishes when you die.”

To join the register, visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk