Join The NHS Organ Donor Register, UK

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Transplants / Organ Donations
Also Included In: Blood / Hematology
Article Date: 04 Jan 2010 - 0:00 PDT

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NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) urges UK citizens to make a positive, outward-looking resolution: join the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR) and help make a real difference to the 10,000 patients in the United Kingdom who need an organ transplant. Online and phone sign-ups to the ODR quadrupled¹ in November 2009 compared to the same month in 2008 - yet more must be done, with 3 people dying every day while they wait for an organ to become available.

The most popular New Year resolutions are focused on self-improvement, and are often unfulfilled: to eat more fruit and vegetables, do more exercise, stop smoking, and drink less alcohol.² But we can do one very achievable simple thing focusing on saving the lives of others - join the NHS Organ Donor Register.

The increase is a result of NHSBT's first-ever UK public awareness campaign for organ donation, encouraging more than 112,000³ people in the first month to join the ODR.

Of these, over 34,000 signed up by going online with the most common age group being 16-34 year olds, and 60% of online registrations coming from women. Over-55s accounted for 10% of the sign-ups. Regionally, the greatest number of online sign-ups during November 2009 came from the North West of England - 3,994 - while the highest proportion of registrations came from the North East of England - 736 per million population. The biggest increase over the same month last year (over 5-fold) was seen in Northern Ireland, followed by South West of England (a 462% increase).

Sally Johnson, Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant said: "Rather than making what can often be an unachievable and unfulfilling resolution, this year we're calling on everyone to do something that could make all the difference in the world and save someone's life.

"If we are to help the 10,000 patients in need of a transplant and prevent 3 people needlessly dying every day due to a lack of organs, we need many more people to join the NHS Organ Donor Register and discuss their decision with the people closest to them."

Kieran Sandwell from Cambridge underwent a heart transplant in July 2009, says, "In order for me to live, someone made the decision to sign the Organ Donor Register. Ultimately that saved my life and the lives of many others. Signing the register takes 3 minutes but has made the world of difference to me and my family."

Source - NHS Organ Donor Register

1 Online/telephone registrations are up by 380%
2 NHS Choices website: www.nhs.uk/Livewell/.../Pages/NewYearresolutions.aspx
3 Most recent validated figure as at 29 December 2009
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