New NHS and Government partnership aims to boost Organ donation registrations

Adults renewing their passport online* from this Wednesday (20 March) will be given the option to confirm their support for organ donation by joining the NHS Organ Donor Register thanks to a new partnership between the NHS and Government. Person holding organ donor card

Nearly every adult in the UK will renew their passport at some point in their life and almost four million adults on average renew every year. As a result, passport applications are seen as one of the best ways to reach a wide range of people and provide information about the benefits of organ donation.

Registration details are provided in the follow up email confirming successful application of your new passport. It takes two minutes to click the link and join the Organ Donor Register and could provide someone desperately waiting for a transplant with their passport to life.

Meeting the need

Despite the increase in the number of people receiving lifesaving transplants last year, there are still more than 7,000 patients currently on the active transplant waiting list - the highest number in almost a decade. Clinicians have also warned that thousands of opportunities for providing someone with a lifesaving organ transplant are still being missed, due to families not supporting the decisions made by their loved ones. A total of 1,130 families last year declined support for organ donation on behalf of their family member.

Organ donor card NHS Blood and Transplant data shows that people are far more likely to support organ donation going ahead when they already know it was what their relative wanted. Nine out of 10 families honour their family member when they had confirmed their decision to donate on the NHS Organ Donor Register.

Thirty million people have already recorded their organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register, representing approximately 45% of the total UK population. However, as only one per cent of people will die in the right circumstances for their organs to be donated, it is really important for as many people as possible to register their decision.

A large number of registrations come through partner channels, including a long-term partnership with the DVLA which currently accounts for 69% of all registrations as well as the NHS app, which has enabled almost 550,000 new organ donation registrations since it launched.

Government Ministers have been exploring new digital routes to inspire more people to record their organ donation decision.

* Adults who are British citizens currently residing in the UK.

Statements

Tom Pursglove MP, Minister for Legal Migration and the Border

“Every person who agrees to donate their organs has the potential to save and improve up to nine lives, so it’s vital that we look for new and innovative ways to boost organ donation.

“As millions of people renew their passport every year, our online application service provides an opportunity to encourage more people to sign up to the organ donation register and give people a second chance at life.”

Andrea Leadsom MP, Health Minister

“This new partnership is a fantastic way to raise awareness for the organ donor register. We want to encourage more people to register their decision, especially people of black and Asian heritage as there is a better chance of finding a suitable match from a donor of the same ethnicity.

“I encourage everyone to register their decision. It only takes two minutes and could save someone’s life.”

Dr Jo Farrar, Chief Executive of NHS Blood and Transplant

“Transplantation would not be possible without the generosity of those who choose to give life to others through organ donation. That’s why we urge everyone to confirm their support for organ donation on the NHS Organ Donor Register.

“We already have successful partnerships with the DVLA and the NHS app, and the success of these shows that people are keen for us to make the process of registering their organ donation decision as easy as possible and many people have confirmed their decision this way.

“We hope that by partnering with the Home Office and doing the same for passport renewals, it will give even more people the chance to confirm their decision and help us save even more lives now and in the future.”

New NHS and Government partnership aims to boost Organ donation registrations

Meeting the need

Statements

What is organ donation?