NHS Blood And Transplant To Establish National Organ Donation Organisation, UK
The report - "Organs for Transplants" - examines current barriers to organ donation within the existing legal framework in the UK, setting out 14 recommendations to overcome these and deliver significantly improved rates of organ donation and transplants.
Accepted in full by the Government, the report recommends the establishment by NHSBT of a national organ donation organisation with responsibility for UK-wide donation, including a network of donor transplant co-ordinators.
Lynda Hamlyn, Chief Executive of NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "This report presents major opportunities for the improvement of organ donation and transplantation services in the United Kingdom.
Medical advances mean that remarkable procedures such as liver and heart transplants are now commonplace, allowing people to live normal lives through the gift of donation. More than 3000 lives were saved and transformed by organ donation last year.
But with the deaths of 1000 people waiting for a transplant over the same period, we can and must improve on this. Working together with our colleagues across the NHS, we believe that the actions recommended by the Organ Donation Taskforce will help us make organ donation the norm in this country, bringing us into line with our European neighbours."
"Organ transplantation is highly successful and is, increasingly, the only treatment for many illnesses", said Chris Rudge, Managing and Transplant Director for UK Transplant (the arm of NHS Blood and Transplant responsible for matching and allocating donated organs).
"The biggest threat to transplantation today is the shortage of donors. Taken together, the solutions proposed in today's report from the Organ Donor Taskforce can change this.
These include increased promotion of organ donation to the public in general and sections of the community, such as the Black and Minority Ethnic population, in particular. I would urge people to consider donation and if they wish to make this gift to those who would otherwise die to make their views known to those closest to them."
There are currently almost 15 million people on the Organ Donor Register. If you would like to add your name, please ring 0845 60 60 400 or go to http://www.uktransplant.org.uk
Notes
1. NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is the Special Health Authority within the NHS which manages UK Transplant, the National Blood Service and Bio Products Laboratory.
2. UK Transplant is the organisation responsible for matching and allocating donated organs. It is part of NHSBT.
3. The Organ Donation Taskforce was established by the Government in 2006 to identify barriers to organ donation. The Taskforce comprises 20 members, including patients transplant surgeons, critical care specialists, donor transplant co-ordinators, NHS managers and representatives from the media, clinical ethics, diversity issues and charities. In developing its recommendations the Taskforce consulted a number of experts, including those from Spain, USA and Australia.
4. The Taskforce was asked to identify barriers to organ donation,explore current issues that might have a bearing on donation rates, and recommend action to be taken to increase organ donation within current legal frameworks. The Report published today contains those recommendations.
5. In September 2007, following the publication of the Chief Medical Officer's annual report which recommended a move to presumed consent for organ donation, the Secretary of State for Health Alan Johnson asked the Taskforce to look at the issue of presumed consent as a second piece of work. The issue of presumed consent is not included in today's report. A separate report will follow in the summer.
6. Currently, more than 8,000 people in the UK need an organ transplant, rising by about 8% a year. At the end of March 2007, 7,219 patients were listed as actively waiting for a transplant. More information is available on http://www.uktransplant.org.uk
7. The NHS Organ Donor Register is a computerised database used to identify those who have registered and indicated that they wish to be organ and/or tissue donors in the event of their death. There are currently nearly 15 million people (almost 25% of the population) on the register.
8. The Human Tissue Act 2004 states that no organs and tissue for transplantation can be taken without the consent of the deceased or their relatives.
http://www.uktransplant.org.uk
NHS de sânge ºi de transplant de organ naþional de a stabili organizarea de donatie, Marea Britanie - NHS Blood And Transplant To Establish National Organ Donation Organisation, UK - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate