Medics to learn to ask for children’s organs

NHS agency says clinicians need guidance on talking to grieving families as donor numbers plateau

DOCTORS need training in how to ask grieving parents for their children’s organs, NHS Blood and Transplant has said, as donation numbers plateau.

Parents are being urged by the service to consider organ donation when their child dies, as new figures show the number of these donations has not changed in more than five years.

Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, who is backing a new NHS campaign to drive up the number of donors, said people “must not shy away from this difficult, and potentially life-saving, conversation.

“Hundreds of young lives were saved last year because of the selfless actions of 57 families. We must find the strength to have the incredibly difficult conversations that have the potential to save the lives of children and babies.”

While donations from adults have risen by a fifth since 2003-04, the numbers from children have remained static. Around half of families who are approached about organ donation following the death of a child consent to their organs being used.

There are currently 177 children waiting for a transplant in the UK.

In 2017-18, 17 children died waiting for a transplant. In the same year, organs from 57 children resulted in 200 transplant operations, but this is barely up on the 55 child donors in 2013-14.

Angie Scales, lead nurse for paediatric and neonatal donation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said there were “many complex reasons” behind the static number of child organ donations. But when a specialist organ donation nurse was involved in conversations with families, the consent rate was higher.

She said: “It’s not just about educating staff to refer, or to be able to have that conversation, because obviously we have specialist nurses, and one of their jobs is to have that conversation with families about donation.”

Young children often need organs that match their size, and it can be particularly difficult to find the right sized hearts for children and babies.

While adults on the urgent heart transplant list typically wait 29 days, children wait 70 days. As a result of this urgent need, NHS Blood and Transplant has launched a new strategy to drive up the number of organ donations among under-18s.

Measures include more support for families and dedicated training on organ donation for clinical staff caring for paediatric patients.

John and Kerry Darling took the decision to donate their 12-year-old daughter Karis May’s organs after she died in 2011.

Mr Darling said: “The NHS people were wonderful. They give us regular updates, letting us know what’s happening with the patients that received organs from Karis. Every day is really hard but knowing there’s people who have benefited from our daughter just gives you a little bit of comfort.”

Children can join the NHS organ donor register in England, although parents must give consent for donation.

The NHS agency said doctors and nurses need training in how to identify potential donors, as well as how to talk with parents about donating.

NHS Blood and Transplant said the new strategy aimed to embed organ donation, when possible, as a routine end-of-life choice.