News

NHS Blood and Transplant, the UK’s national organ donation organisation, hosts the 20th European Organ Donation Day in London and is looking forward to welcoming all delegates from the 47 member countries of the Council of Europe.

Amongst the inspirational stories told in the 30 minute programme is that of Makena, who was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a condition in which the heart is left unable to pump blood effectively.

Young patients wait on average more than two and a half times longer than adults for an urgent heart transplant.

Team Great Britain and Northern Ireland came out on top of the medals table with a truly impressive count, winning 205 gold, 152 silver and 127 bronze medals.

The waiting list for heart transplants has increased by more than 130% in the last ten years.

More black, Asian and minority ethnic people are giving the gift of life through organ donation and receiving lifesaving transplants than ever before, but too many donation opportunities are being missed because families are not discussing the subject and making their decisions clear.

Figures released during Organ Donation Week 2019 show around 2,500 potential transplants were missed in the last year because families said no to donating their relative’s organs.

Celebrate Organ Donation Week by joining us on a walk through London to mark the importance of organ donation and honour donors and their families.

This weekend (17 August 2019) sees the start of this year’s World Transplant Games which takes place over the next seven days in the North East of England.

Legislation to introduce an opt-out system of organ and tissue donation for deceased donors in Scotland will come into force in autumn 2020.