Families in Nottinghamshire need to talk about organ donation

Families in Nottinghamshire are being encouraged to talk about organ donation after it was disclosed that less than half of people in England have had the conversation.
By Gay Bolton
Published 10th Feb 2021, 15:43 BST
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The NHS has launched a campaign aiming to highlight the impact not knowing has on the families who are left behind and to encourage people to talk about their decision as many people don’t realise that families will still be approached before any donation goes ahead.

A law change in England last year means that all adults are seen as willing to donate their organs, unless they opt out or are in one of the excluded groups.

In Nottinghamshire, 426,347 people are currently on the NHS Organ Donor Register, with 24 people becoming donors in the last year.

The NHS campaign Leave Them Certain is encouraging families to talk about organ donation.The NHS campaign Leave Them Certain is encouraging families to talk about organ donation.
The NHS campaign Leave Them Certain is encouraging families to talk about organ donation.
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Research shows that the biggest barrier to talking about organ donation is that it’s never come up in conversation with 34 per cent of people stating this as their reason. Just over a quarter (27 per cent) say they are worried it will upset their family or make them feel uncomfortable, 24% feel they don’t need to tell anyone their decision, 22% don’t want to talk about their own death or say they haven’t got round to it and 16% have never thought about organ donation.

Anthony Clarkson, director of organ and tissue donation and transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “People often tell us that they struggle to find the right time or words to talk about organ donation, unfortunately we see first-hand the impact not knowing has on families when the first time they consider their loved one’s wishes around organ donation is when they are seriously ill or have already died."

As part of the Leave Them Certain campaign, the NHS has produced some guidance to help start the conversation:

*Start by checking in first; ‘how are you doing?’ so you can gauge whether now is a good time. Choose a time when you’re not too distracted or when you’re sharing a space, or time with each other;

*Perhaps there is something that prompts the conversation - seeing the NHS campaign TV advert or an article in the paper;

*If faith is important to you, share what you know about your faith’s beliefs on giving;

*Acknowledge it’s a difficult subject and that you don’t have to agree.

Related topics:EnglandNottinghamshireNHS