'Deadly shortage' of organ donors costing lives in Warwickshire - The Stratford Observer

'Deadly shortage' of organ donors costing lives in Warwickshire

Stratford Editorial 4th Sep, 2017   0

A ‘DEADLY shortage’ of organ donors is costing lives in Warwickshire.

New data from NHS Blood and Transplant shows 44 people in the county have died over the past 10 years while waiting for an organ transplant.

And there are currently 47 people in Warwickshire waiting for a transplant.

The tragic figures were revealed to mark Organ Donation Week (September 4-10) – and to urge people to tell their families they want to become donors.




Hundreds of life saving transplants are being missed every year because families did’t know what their relative wanted, so often decide it is safer to say no.

Anthony Clarkson, Assistant Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “It’s a tragedy that people are dying unnecessarily every year in Warwickshire waiting for transplants.


“We know that if everyone who supported donation talked about it and agreed to donate, most of those lives would be saved.

“This Organ Donation Week, tell your family you want to save lives. A few words now can make an extraordinary difference. It will also make things much easier for your family to make the right decision.

“In Warwickshire there are more than 217,000 people on the NHS Organ Donor Register. However if you want to be a donor, your family’s support is still needed for donation to go ahead.

“If you are unsure about donation, please ask yourselves as a family what you would do if one of you needed a transplant. If you wouldd take an organ, shouldn’t you be prepared to donate?”

NHS Blood and Transplant surveys show over 80 per cent of people support organ donation but only around 49 per cent have ever talked about it.

Families who agree to donate say it helps with their grief and that they feel proud to know their relative gave others the chance of a new beginning.

Visit www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/get-involved/promoting-donation-hub/download-digital-materials/organ-donation-week for more information.

Subscribe

Receive a weekly update to your inbox by signing up to our weekly newsletter.

Public Notices

View and download all of the public notices in the Stratford Observer.

Recruitment

Find a career you'll love with our free career finder website.

Announcements

Weddings, Birthdays, Bereavements, Thank you notices, Marriages and more.