Urgent organ donor plea as growing number turn down requests to donate relative's organs

The annual rate of consent in the UK for organ donation has fallen to just 61% - down eight points in the last four years - even as the number of people in need of an organ transplant reached a ten year high

More and more bereaved families are turning down requests to donate a deceased relative’s organs.

The drop comes as NHS Blood and Transplant statistics show the number of people in need of a transplant is at a 10-year high.

The Mirror successfully campaigned for a law change to “deemed consent” in England from 2020 but bereaved families have the final say. And the annual NHSBT transplant activity report has now shown the UK consent rate fell to 61% in 2023/24, down from 69% four years ago.

The NHSBT report outlined reasons relatives give for vetoing donation. Just over a fifth said the patient had expressed a wish not to donate.

However 16% said no because they felt the process took too long, up from 12.7% the previous year.

Lesley Clarke of Lincoln agreed to donate the organs of her partner Richard Still when he died in 2022. She said: “One of his corneas helped save someone’s sight. I had a lovely letter from the patient, saying what a difference it made. It made it real.”

NHSBT said it was vital that all those who agree to donation make their decision known.

They can reinforce the message by signing the NHS Organ Donor Register. More information is available at organdonation.nhs.uk