Organ donation is giving an organ to someone else who needs a transplant. This donation will greatly enhance or save the life of the person who receives the transplanted organ. Organ donation is an amazingly generous act and saves thousands of lives in the UK every year.

Around 5,000 people each year in the UK die in circumstances where they can become a donor. Because organs have to be  transplanted very soon after death they can only be donated by someone who has died in a hospital. Usually these patients are on a ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit or Emergency Department, and are declared brain dead or die despite medical treatment, generally as a result of a brain haemorrhage, major accident, or stroke.

Everyone can join the NHS Organ Donor Register regardless of age, as long as they:
are legally capable of making the decision, and live in the UK.
Specialist healthcare professionals decide in each individual case whether a person’s organs and tissue are suitable for donation.

Blood and tissue types need to match for a successful transplant and organs from people from the same ethnic background are more likely to be a close match.

Having an illness or medical condition doesn’t necessarily prevent a person from becoming an organ or tissue donor. The decision about whether some or all organs or tissue are suitable for transplant is made by a medical specialist at the time of donation, taking into account your medical, travel and social history.

If donation is possible at the time of your death, NHS staff can ensure that your organ donation is in line with your faith or beliefs.
All the major religions and belief systems in the UK support the principles of organ donation and transplantation and accept that organ donation is an individual choice. We’ve worked with faith leaders and communities to build trust, raise awareness and discuss the barriers to organ and/or tissue donation and how to improve consent rates.

While our specialist nurses already discuss faith and beliefs with your family when they talk to them about organ donation, this new feature will provide additional reassurance to those who may have further issues to consider that are important to them. This may include questions such as whether a family or religious figure will have time to say prayers, how washing or dressing requirements in line with your faith will be met and whether a swift burial will still be possible.

Just go to our amend your details form and update your registration. Your record will be updated. Or you can call us on 0300 123 23 23.

Many people don’t realise that their family’s support is needed for organ donation to go ahead.

If you’ve never talked to your family about your decision to be a donor, they will not know you want to save lives.

It is important to tell your family and friends about your decision to donate your organs and/or tissue after death.

If you have registered to donate your organs, we will ask your next of kin to support your decision to be donor. Telling your family your organ donation decision lets them know what you want to happen and means your family don’t have to make a difficult decision when they are grieving.