More than 30 patients donated their organs after death at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust last year, helping towards saving or improving the lives of more than 4,500 people desperately in need of a transplant across the UK.
NHS Blood and Transplant released the figures to mark the publication of the annual Organ Donation and Transplantation Activity Report, which showed that Royal Sussex County Hospital, in Brighton, was one of the top 20 donor hospitals in the UK last year.
Katie Law, Specialist Nurse – Organ Donation at UHSussex, said: “Organ and tissue transplants would not be possible without the generosity of those who choose to give life to others after they have died through the gift of organ and tissue donation. It is a heroic thing to do and an incredible legacy to leave. We meet very brave families every day who are experiencing tragic and often sudden bereavement. When we talk to families who know that their loved one wanted to donate, they have that reassurance and comfort that they are doing the right thing and upholding their loved one’s decision. This is what Organ Donation Week is about – encouraging people to have that conversation and sharing our organ and tissue donation decision with the people important to us.”
The NHS Blood and Transplant annual report shows deceased organ donation in the UK increased by 2% last year thanks to the continuing recovery of organ donation and transplant activity following the Covid-19 pandemic. Nationally, 1,429 people in total donated their organs after death last year, including 31 across our four hospital sites.
Despite this, the number of people being listed for a transplant has increased, due to most being suspended during the height of the pandemic and, subsequently, others needing a transplant being added to the list. Nationally, there are more than 7,000 people on the active waiting list and a further 3,822 temporarily suspended.
Find out more and register your decision by visiting NHS Organ Donor Register at www.organdonation.nhs.uk and share your decision with your family.