NHS announces first-ever urgent response following sharp decline in organ donation

• Urgent response plan launched to tackle significant decline in organ donation
  
• Public urged to sign the NHS Organ Donor Register in a new campaign highlighting lost opportunities to save lives because families didn’t know if their loved ones wanted to be a donor
  
• Donors down 9% compared with the same period last year
  
• Family consent down by almost a fifth over the last five years
  
• Record UK waiting list with more than 8,700 people needing a transplant
  
  
  
  

This Organ Donation Week, the public are being urged to take action and register as organ donors on the NHS Organ Donor register to halt a rapid decline in donation which has seen the organ transplant waiting list increase beyond record levels with nine people dying every week.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has today announced, for the first time, an urgent response plan to address a significant and accelerating decline in organ donation and transplantation across the UK.

Deceased donation rates have declined sharply in recent months and are currently trending at 9% below this time last year.  Meanwhile, the UK transplant waiting list continues to rise, with over 8,700 people currently waiting for a lifesaving transplant. 

New figures released today, reveal that over 700 potential donations did not go ahead in the period between April 2021 and March 2026, because families did not know for certain what their loved one would have wanted. On average, each deceased donor will donate three organs, resulting in around 2,127 missed opportunities for transplant.

Only 1% of people in the UK die in circumstances where donation is possible and the pool of eligible donors has reduced by around 20% since 2019/20.  

At the same time, family consent rates have dropped from 67% in 2020/21 to 57% last year, resulting in hundreds of missed opportunities for transplants. Families support donation 90% of the time when they know their loved one’s decision, but this falls to around 50% when no decision is known. Donation cannot proceed without family support, making recorded decisions critical.

NHSBT is calling on one million people who have never registered before, to confirm their organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register this year. Confirming a decision takes two minutes and can help ensure families know exactly what their loved one wanted at the end of life.

Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said:

“We are facing one of the most challenging periods for organ donation in over a decade. The sharp decline in donors and the rising number of people waiting for a transplant need urgent action.

“We have already adapted significantly to changes in the donation environment. But. Saving lives and reducing the waiting list needs collective effort across the NHS and society.

“There is a simple action the public can take to help save lives. Please sign the NHS Organ Donor Register. Most of us would accept an organ if we needed one but opportunities to save lives are being lost because families didn’t know what their loved ones wanted. Leave them certain.

“It takes two minutes to confirm an organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. Each donor can potentially save up to nine lives. Visit organdonation.nhs.uk, call 0300 123 23, or use the NHS App.”

This is the first time the NHS has needed to implement an urgent response plan for organ donation. The plan includes working with NHS Trusts throughout the UK to increase donation opportunities and improve society’s support for organ donation. By moving to an urgent footing now, the aim is to increase donation opportunities, recover performance and ensure more patients receive the life-saving transplants they need. 

The urgent response plan will introduce accelerated measures to stabilise and recover organ donation, including:

• Identifying and referring more potential donors – ensuring every possible opportunity is recognised
  
• Improving testing for neurological death, reducing delays and uncertainty
  
• Accelerating actions to improve consent rates
  
• Maximising every viable donation opportunity in hospitals
  
• Speeding up improvements across the donation pathway
  
  
  
  

Alongside today’s urgent measures, NHSBT is developing a long-term transformation programme to ensure the donation and transplant system remains sustainable. This includes adapting to the changing donor population, expanding donation after circulatory death, using innovative techniques to make the best use of organs that are available, and strengthening the living donation programme.