1,000-plus lives saved thanks to organ donors

More than 1,000 people have been given a new lease of life in Lancashire thanks to organ donation.
"Yes I donate" NHS organ donor card. Card in hand."Yes I donate" NHS organ donor card. Card in hand.
"Yes I donate" NHS organ donor card. Card in hand.

The number of people living in Lancashire currently known to be alive thanks to organ transplants has reached 1,115.

This figure is revealed by NHS Blood and Transplant, whose annual Transplant Activity Report, published today, shows the UK-wide number of people alive thanks to transplants has reached the milestone figure of 50,000.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

NHS Blood and Transplant is now urging people in Lancashire to help even more people to survive by joining the NHS Organ Donor Register.

More people are alive thanks to transplants because of improving survival rates and increased public commitment to donation. In Lancashire, the number of people on the Organ Donor Register has increased by 28 per cent over the past five years. There are now 521,225 people on the NHS Organ Donor Register in Lancashire, compared to 405,988 five years ago.

This includes:

n 41,570 people on the NHS Organ Donor list in the city of Preston, compared to 33,926 five years ago.

n 33,013 people on the NHS Organ Donor in Blackburn with Darwen, compared to 26,467 five years ago.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Anyone can sign up as a donor on the NHS Organ Donor Register. How old you are or any existing medical conditions shouldn’t stop you from signing up.

You could save or transform up to nine people’s lives by donating your organs when you die and help even more by donating tissue.

Nationally, the number of people on the NHS Organ Donor Register reached a record number, 23.6 million. Today 36% of the UK’s population is on the NHS Organ Donor Register, compared to 30 per cent five years ago.

The public support for donation also means more people in Lancashire are receiving lifesaving and life enhancing transplants. Last year 126 people in Lancashire had transplants, compared to 80 five years ago. Despite the record breaking public commitment to donation, there is still a shortage of organ donors.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sally Johnson, Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “More people than ever in Lancashire are committing to organ donation and that is saving more lives than ever. It’s amazing to picture all the people now alive today thanks to organ donation.”

Please join the NHS Organ Donor Register at www.organdonation.nhs.uk