New national organ donation and transplantation campaigning group launched.

Leading patient groups and clinicians say more needs to be done in the NHS.

A new national coalition called Transplant 2013 was launched yesterday in the Houses of Parliament that aims to support national initiatives to substantially increase the numbers of organs being transplanted in the NHS. Transplant 2013 was established by patient groups, professional groups and industry to represent the combined voice of the organ donation and transplant community.

Keith Rigg, Chair of Transplant 2013 and President of the British Transplantation Society said: 'There are currently approximately 8000 patients in the UK who are waiting for an organ transplant in the UK but 3 will die every day due to lack of an available organ.

'We need to do more to increase transplantation in this country. The Organ Donation Taskforce, established by the Department of Health in 2008, recommended that a 50% increase in organ donation in the NHS by 2013 can be achieved through better organisation of services and increased cultural awareness amongst professionals and public alike. Good progress has been made over the last two years but we are concerned about maintaining the momentum during this period of change and uncertainty within the NHS'.

He added: 'Transplant 2013 is planning on a range of campaign activities next year to support the implementation of those recommendations. We are calling on NHS professionals, patient groups, industry and politicians to work with us and make these critically important ambitions for organ transplantation a reality'.

Alex Hole, Treasurer of Transplant 2013 and a former transplant patient said: 'Transplantation is a unique form of medicine that can restore good health to the seriously ill in a matter of days with minimal side effects. More can be done and more must be done.'

The launch of Transplant 2013 was attended by transplant patients, senior clinicians, patient groups and MPs. The launch was addressed by Chris Williamson MP (Derby North, Lab) who will leading the campaign activities in Parliament, including the formation of an All-Party Parliamentary Group for Transplantation, and Chris Rudge, National Clinical Director for Transplantation at the Department of Health, who updated the community on progress of the Organ Donation Taskforce.

Ends.

For further information or to request an interview, please contact the Transplant 2013 Secretariat on 020 7233 3558 during normal hours, or email us at info@trasnplant2013.org.uk. For out of hours, contact us on 07884 173 056.

Notes to Editors:

The coalition was established by the transplant community to represent the combined voice of transplantation following the closure of Transplant Trust and in support the implementation of the Organ Donation Taskforce’s recommendations in Organs for Transplants (2008) in order to achieve a 50% increase in deceased organ donors by 2013. The full mission statement and constitution is available from www.transplant2013.org.uk.
Members of Transplant 2013 include Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Astellas Pharma, the British Society for Immunology, the British Transplantation Society, the British Liver Trust, the Children’s Heart Federation, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Genzyme Therapeutics, the Lewis Prior Foundation, Live Life Then Give Life, the National Kidney Federation, South Asian Health Foundation, and the International Transplant Nurses Society and Novartis.