25 July 2023 , 16:50
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A third of people who agree to organ donation are not mentioning their wishes to loved ones, worrying new polling shows.
Unwillingness to talk about death is thought to be the main reason 3,390 transplants could not go ahead last year due to objections from bereaved families.
NHS Blood and Transplant is today issuing a desperate plea for the public to register their support for donation on the NHS Organ Donor Register.
Exclusive polling reveals the extent that Brits are not communicating their wishes. A Survation poll of 1,000 Brits showed 61% say they would consent. However out of those, just 65% have told friends or relatives.
This is despite the introduction of Max and Keira’s Law in 2020 inspired by Mirror campaigner Max Johnson, 15, and his heart donor, Keira Ball, who died, aged nine, in a car crash.
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Mirror campaign (Daily Mirror)This changed the law in England to ‘deemed consent’, but the family can still overrule that. Some 1,130 families declined to support organ donation – in only 349 cases was this because their loved one had asked not to.
Last year 439 patients died waiting for their transplant, 732 more were removed from the waiting list as they were too sick to have the operation.
Olive McGowan, chief nurse for organ donation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Taking two minutes to confirm your decision today, could give reassurance to your family and help us save more lives.”
* Register your decision at www.organdonation.nhs.uk and you can also check it via the NHS app.
How Mirror won battle for Max and Keira's Law
The Mirror campaigned for Max and Keira’s law in the name of Keira Ball, who died, aged nine, in a car crash, then saved the life of Max Johnson, nine, who received her heart.
The law change which came into force in 2020 and was credited with helping keep organ donation going during the Covid crisis. But it always meant there would be a presumption in favour of donation.
Bereaved next of kin would always retain their right to veto transplants.