Organ Tree Ltd, offering payment for deceased organ donation

8 August 2017

Sally Johnson, Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant said:

"NHS Blood and Transplant has been made aware of a web based business, Organ Tree Ltd, offering payment for deceased organ donation. We have absolutely no association with this business.

“NHS Blood and Transplant is the organ donation organisation for the UK and we are responsible for matching and allocating donated organs. We wish to make it clear that deceased organ donation in the UK is an altruistic act. Giving or receiving payment or reward for organ donation is illegal.

“Organ donation in the UK is regulated by the Human Tissue Authority (HTA), who offer the following advice.

  • If an individual were to register with Organ Tree Ltd, or any other service operating on a similar basis, or enter into any financial arrangement associated with organ donation, they are likely to be breaking the law, which prohibits almost all payment and attempts to seek payment².
  • Organ Tree Ltd is not linked to the national UK organ donation and transplantation system and therefore cannot provide any binding guarantee that your wishes with regard to organ donation will be met. In particular, established practice in the UK does not allow deceased organ donors to choose who their organs should be given to - this is decided on the basis of clinical need.

“If you wish to help someone after death by donating your organs join the NHS Organ Donor Register and let your family know of your decision."

  1. Contained within the full HTA release.
  2. The Human Tissue Act 2004 does permit donors to receive reimbursement of reasonable expenses, such as travel costs and loss of earnings, which are reasonably attributable to and directly result from living organ donation.