Healthcare workers race to the top in Organ Donation Week challenge

Top row (left to right): Mel Schulenberg, Oncology Nurse, Heinz Schulenberg, Anaesthetic Consultant, Rachel Rowe, Anaesthetic Consultant, Adam Neep Intensive Care Medicine and Anaesthetic Consultant.

Bottom row (left to right): Helen Buglass, Consultant Intensive Care Medicine and Anaesthesia, Marc Fadden, Intensive Care Medicine and Anaesthetic Consultant.

In support of Organ Donation Week (23–29 September) colleagues from the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust have successfully participated in the NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) Race for Recipients.

This nationwide initiative motivates NHS teams to cover as many miles as possible through various physical activities, aiming to reach a collective goal of 75,000 km, representing the number of people currently waiting for transplants across the UK.

Dressed in pink, 169 staff members, including consultants, nurses, allied health professionals, healthcare support workers, and administrative staff, took part in the challenge, securing the Trust a third place ranking on the regional leaderboard.

Helen Buglass, Consultant and Organ Donation lead at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, and one of the participants, said:

A huge congratulations to everyone involved in this incredible achievement during the organ donation registers 30th anniversary. We accepted this challenge to highlight the importance of organ donation. As an Intensive Care Unit Consultant, I often see the life-saving impact of a patient’s decision to donate and how families honour that choice. It’s vital to keep spreading this message as the transplant waiting list grows and to discuss organ donation with loved ones.

Throughout the week, the Trust has also engaged in several awareness-raising activities, including flying the organ donation flag, lighting up Wakefield Town Hall, Pinderfields and Dewsbury hospital sites pink, and hosting a celebration of life service to honour those who have passed.

NHS Blood and Transplant, along with the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, is encouraging the public to register their organ donation decision and have conversations with their families, as over 7,762 people in the UK are currently awaiting transplants.

For more information on organ donation or to register your decision, visit: www.organdonation.nhs.uk