Organ donations saved more than dozen lives in Warks
ORGAN donations saved more than a dozen lives across Warwickshire in just one year - but many more could have been saved.
New figures published by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) show that last year (2019/20) 17 people across the county gave the gift of life, by donating their organs after death.
NHSBT bosses say the high number of organ donors last year, on track to be another record, is testament to the strong support for organ donation in the UK and was possible thanks to more incredible families agreeing to support donation.
This allowed 3,760 patients to have the organ transplant they needed, including nine people in Warwick District, nine people in Stratford and eight people in Rugby.
NHSBT do not release figures under five, so less than five people in North Warwickshire and less than five people in Nuneaton and Bedworth were given the organ transplant.
Figures show there are 13 patients living in Warwick District, 13 in Rugby, seven in North Warwickshire, 11 in Nuneaton and Bedworth and 12 people in Stratford-on-avon currently in need of a donor. Also, sadly, in the last five years, dozens of people across the county died before they received the organ they desperately needed Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant chiefs hope that the number of donors continues to improve, following the introduction of the opt out system.
Anthony Clarkson, director of Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHS
Blood and Transplant, has asked families across the county to discuss their plans.
“Amazing organ donors and their families make life-saving transplants possible, by giving their support and saying ‘yes’ to organ donation,” he said,
“It’s wonderful to see that we were, once again, on track to surpass the number of organ donors in 2019/20 than the previous year before Covid-19 hit. This is testament to the selfless families, including 17 families in Warwickshire, who agreed to donate their loved one’s organs in the most tragic of circumstances.
“It is disappointing but inevitable that donation and transplantation has been impacted by the worldwide pandemic. What is incredible though is that throughout this crisis, we have continued to see such strong support for organ donation and the most urgent transplants have still gone ahead and saved the lives of desperately ill adults and children.
“We are, along with our fantastic NHS colleagues, focused on the continued recovery of this immensely important work, which brings comfort to grieving families and gives people another chance at life. As we learn to live with Covid-19 and boosted by the new law and growing public support, we hope more lives than ever before can be saved.
“I urge everyone in Warwickshire to make their organ donation decision and tell their family about it.”
More information To find out more about organ donation and to register your decision, visit the NHS Organ Donor Register website here and tell family members of your decision.