Organ donation

How you can help?

The gift of life through organ donation is a unique opportunity for people who are at the end of their life to save or transform the lives of others.

Make your organ donation decision and find out more on the organ donation website
Tell your family, as they will be consulted
Record your decision on the Organ Donor Register or call 0300 123 23 23

What is Organ Donation?

Organ donation is the gift of an organ to help someone who needs a life-saving transplant. Thousands of people’s lives are saved every year by the kindness and generosity of organ donors and their families. Organs that can be donated include heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas and small bowels. Tissues such as skin, bone, heart valves and corneas can also be donated to improve and enhance the lives of others.

How do I join the organ donation register

It takes less than two minutes to register your decision. More importantly, let your family and friends know about your organ donation decision.

Our Organ Donation Team

The Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust has a clinical lead for organ donation (CLOD) in Dr. Helen Buglass who is also a consultant in ICU. The embedded specialist nurse in organ donation (SNOD) is Raz Igasan.

Our Organ Donation Committee (ODC)

The UK National Health Service has made significant and huge investments to improve the number of organ donors throughout the country in order bridge the gap between the number of people desperately waiting for a transplant and the number of people who can donate organs following their death.

In Pinderfields Hospital, our Organ Donation Committee is comprised of a group of dedicated and passionate individuals who work collaboratively and closely with many hospital services and stakeholders within the trust ensuring that organ donation processes happen in the safest and most meaningful way for everyone involved. The committee also works to promote knowledge and raise awareness in organ donation and its benefits throughout the Trust and the wider Wakefield community.

Organ donation law in England has changed

The law around organ donation in England has changed to an ‘opt-out system’ to allow more people to save more lives.

Where you have made a decision (yes or no) about organ donation – either by recording it on the Organ Donor Register or by telling your family – this will always be respected.

The law means that all adults in England will be considered to become an organ and tissue donor when they die, unless they have made a decision not to or are in one of the excluded groups. Families will always be involved in this decision.

So the choice is still yours…

Adults covered by the change will still have a choice whether they want to be an organ donor and their families will still be consulted before organ donation goes ahead.

It is important you not only register your decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register – whether a yes or a no - but share it with your family or closest friends too, to give them the certainty to support your decision at a difficult time.

You could save or transform up to nine people's lives by donating your organs when you die and help more people by donating tissue. You can choose which organs you want to donate on the Organ Donor Register.

Visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk to register your decision and find out more.

About Organ and Tissue Donation at our Trust

In the UK, 90% of people are willing to accept an organ and yet only 38% of the population are registered on the NHS Organ Donor Register. Every day, three people die while waiting for a life-saving transplant.

Our aim is to make sure all individuals and their families are offered the opportunity to donate organs and tissues of their loved ones after their death in order to save the lives of others.

Our hope is that from their own personal tragedy, donor families will find comfort in knowing they have helped save and transform lives in a most special and positive way.

The Gift Of Life

Organ transplants are among the most amazing and miraculous achievements of modern medicine. However, these are only possible through the generosity of organ donors and their families for others to have life-saving gifts. One donor can give life to nine people through solid organ donation and many more others through tissue donation.

Currently there is a critical shortage of organs – and the gap between the number of organs donated and the number of people waiting for a transplant is increasing all the time. Presently, more than 7,000 people in the UK are in need of a transplant, and sadly, every year, around 1,000 people die while waiting on the transplant list. The need for donors has never been greater.

Links to other support organisations

Further information

Find out more about organ donation on the NHS Blood and Transplant website or call the Organ Donor Line on 0300 123 2323.
The NHS Blood and Transplant website also has information on tissue donation. Or call the National Referral Centre on 0800 432 0559 to speak directly to an advisor.
The Scottish Government has an organ donation teaching resource pack available to download from the website.
NHS Choices has information about organ donation.
Human Tissue Authority
Donor Family Network
Could I be a living kidney donor?
Give and Let Live is an educational resource from NHS Blood and Transplant and aims to provide students aged 14 or over with the knowledge and understanding of key issues relating to donation.

Shivum's story

Shivum’s father Bharat died from a cardiac arrest when he was 63 in May 2019. When they asked Shivum if his father wanted to be an organ donor, he didn’t know.