What is the organ donation system?

Organ donation is the process of donating an organ to another patient who needs a transplant; this could potentially enhance or save lives. Therefore, it is crucial that the NHS adopt a systematic and effective system which ensures that the NHS is committed to the quality of care that they provide to patients.

How does the current organ donation system in the NHS work?

NHS England follows an ‘opt out’ system, also referred to as ‘Max and Keira’s Law’, that was initially introduced on 20 May 2020. The system considers all adults in England as donors unless they have specifically outlined that they would not like to donate on the NHS Organ Donor Register or if they are included in one of the excluded groups (Organ Donation, n.d.). If one does not opt out, discussions with family will always take place in order to come to an informed decision; this is important as the system always considers a person’s faiths and beliefs before organ donation occurs.

Sadly, in 2018-2019, '400 people died whilst waiting for their call and a further 777 were removed due to deteriorating health’ (NHS Blood and Transplant, 2019). This highlights how the need for this new system is crucial, especially when it comes to overcoming the long waiting lists for transplants in England. With Wales having already adopted this system back in 2015, there have already been improvements in organ donation where ‘consent rates for donation reached an all-time high in Wales of 77% in 2018/19, after they were as low as 58% in 2015/16’ (Welsh Government, 2020). It is possible that the success seen in Wales can also be reflected in England, therefore saving and transforming more lives.

The ‘opt out’ system will see increases in organ donations over time, therefore resulting in an increase in demand on transplants services. It is crucial that the government provides sufficient funding to these NHS services, to ensure that this system runs effectively in the future. Furthermore, transplant centres also need to effectively communicate with each other so that there is an increase the chance of successfully matching donated organs to patients (Department of Health and Social Care, 2023).

Written by Varsana

Moderated by Adelene

References:

Department of Health and Social Care, 2023. Improved system of organ use to save lives. [Online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/improved-system-of-organ-use-to-save-lives#:~:text=The%20opt%2Dout%20change%20to,almost%20doubling%20within%2010%20years. [Accessed 17 July 2024].

NHS Blood and Transplant, 2019. Highest ever number of organ donors, despite drop in numbers of people eligible to donate. [Online] Available at: https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/news/highest-ever-number-of-organ-donors-despite-drop-in-numbers-of-people-eligible-to-donate/#:~:text=The%20data%20shows%20for%20every,would%20have%20died%20shortly%20afterwards.

[Accessed 17 July 2024].

Organ Donation, n.d. What is the opt out system in England ?. [Online] Available at: https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/helping-you-to-decide/about-organ-donation/faq/what-is-the-opt-out-system/#:~:text=All%20adults%20in%20England%20are,an%20'opt%20out'%20system.

[Accessed 16 July 2024].

Welsh Government, 2020. ‘Opt-out organ donation scheme has transformed lives’ – celebrates Health Minister on fifth anniversary of scheme’s introduction. [Online] Available at: https://www.gov.wales/opt-out-organ-donation-scheme-has-transformed-lives-celebrates-health-minister-fifth-anniversary#:~:text=Since%20the%20scheme%20was%20introduced,two%20quarters%20of%202020%2F21. [Accessed 17 July 2024].