New NHS drive to get people talking about organ donation
It's after the law around it changed last year.
People in West Sussex are being urged to talk to their family about organ donation as part of a new NHS drive.
Last year, the law in England changed - meaning all adults are seen as willing to donate their organs - unless they opt out or are in one of the excluded groups.
The 'Leave Them Certain' campaign is to encourage people to talk to family members about their decision - and raise awareness that families will still be approached - before any donation goes ahead.
In West Sussex, there are 398,376 people currently on the NHS Organ Donor Register, with 20 people becoming donors in the last year.
New research has found less than half of adults in England have spoken to family members about it.
Even though 80% of people are willing to donate their organs, only 39% say they have shared their decision.
And while a huge 9 in 10 families support organ donation if they knew what their loved one wanted, this figure falls to around half when a decision is not known.
As part of the campaign, a new TV advert launched this week featuring the Kakkad family. Shivum’s father Bharat died from a cardiac arrest when he was 63 in May 2019, but the family had never spoken about organ donation.
The advert features family footage and memories of Bharat but ends with another memory - when they asked Shivum if his father wanted to be an organ donor and he just didn’t know.
Significantly, Shivum and his family did agree to organ donation, but it was a decision that could have been made easier if they’d had the conversation.
Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said:
“People often tell us that they struggle to find the right time or words to talk about organ donation, unfortunately we see first-hand the impact not knowing has on families when the first time they consider their loved ones wishes around organ donation is when they are seriously ill or have already died.
"Talk to your friends, talk to your family. Even though the law has changed, you can still sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register to provide your family with added reassurance.
"Please don’t wait. Have the conversation today.”
Local hospitals are also supporting the campaign.
More information on how to discuss your decision can be found on the NHS Blood and Transplant website.