Sharing organ transplant patient information

No. We do not share donor information. We share a donor number that is only identifiable to someone in NHSBT
How have you changed the way you are communicating with hospitals since you found this out and when did you change it?

We discovered the source of the data breach was the system used to send messages to pagers on Friday 17 July 2026. Organs need to be matched with patients on the waiting list in a matter of hours so communicating quickly with hospital transplant teams is essential.

We need to maintain a rapid communication method. A small number of hospitals remain dependent on pager-based communications and, as a result, full transition away from this system will take time.

As an interim measure, since 17 July, transplant teams have been contacting the Hub directly for urgent communications, however, this placed additional pressure on operational teams and was not sustainable as a long-term solution.

As of Friday 30 July we put a temporary alternative in place that will allow urgent communications to be sent via email to transplant teams, with pager alerts used only to notify teams that an urgent email requires attention where pager dependency remains.

We are confident we are no longer sharing patient data on a non-encrypted system.

At present, we have no evidence that the information has been accessed or used maliciously. However, we are treating this matter extremely seriously and are conducting a thorough investigation. This is not a cyber attack.

Once an organ becomes available for transplantation, there is only a limited window of time in which it can be safely transplanted. NHS Blood and Transplant must quickly contact the transplant centre and clinical teams to confirm that the organ is suitable, identify the recipient, arrange the transplant surgery, and coordinate the movement of specialist staff and transport.

Any delay can reduce the viability of the organ and, in some cases, could mean a life-saving transplant cannot go ahead.

This is why transplant teams require communication systems that can reliably alert clinicians immediately, at any time of the day or night. The message is often very urgent and needs a rapid response from the relevant specialist team.

While legacy paging infrastructure historically lacked encryption, we are actively exploring options with our existing supplier with a view to moving towards a delivery method that supports encrypted messaging. This will form part of our ongoing investigation.

We will need to look at a way of communicating rapidly and reliably with hospitals until we introduce a digital system planned for next year.

We do not believe this incident has resulted in any patient coming to harm or any patient missing out on a transplant when they were correctly matched. Clinical safety and patient care have continued throughout.

No. The way organs are matched and allocated to patients has not changed. The incident relates to the communication method used to notify transplant teams, not the clinical matching process itself.

No. This incident does not affect how patients are prioritised or matched for transplantation. Clinical decisions and waiting list management continue as normal.

No. NHSBT has put alternative communication arrangements in place to ensure transplant services continue safely and effectively. Organ matching and transplant activity continue as normal.

Yes. Organ transplantation is a time-critical service, and maintaining rapid communication with clinical teams is a priority. Changes made following the incident have been designed to maintain patient safety while improving information security.

In some cases, this is the most reliable method of communicating urgently with a hospital transplant team.

Anyone who is concerned can contact NHSBT through the dedicated enquiry route established for this incident. We will provide information, answer questions, and offer support to those affected.

No. The incident relates to communications used during the organ offering and transplantation process between NHSBT and transplant teams. The Organ Donor Register is unaffected by this.

Yes. Organ donation choices are recorded on the NHS Organ Donor Register, which is entirely separate.