Organ donation and transplantation
Give the gift of life after your death
Together we can save more people
We manage the NHS Organ Donor Register and National Transplant Register, which lets us fairly match donors to people who are waiting for a transplant. Thanks to our amazing donors, we were able to facilitate 4,651 transplants in 2023/24.
This is fantastic, but there is still lots to do. We estimate there to be around 7,500 people on the UK Transplant Waiting List. Last year over 415 people died while waiting for a transplant.
Did you know?
It's important to talk to your family
It is essential to tell your family whether or not you want to be an organ donor.
You can record a decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register to opt in, or opt out, but your family will be asked to honour your decision, when the time comes.
If there is no recorded decision for you on the NHS Organ Donor Register, your family will be asked if they have any information that shows whether or not you wanted to donate.
English organ donation law has changed
All adults in England are now considered potential organ donors, unless they choose to opt out or are in one of the excluded groups.
This is commonly referred to as an ‘opt out’ system.
You're in safe hands
- We hold a Procurement Licence
- We are operate under the Quality and Safety of Organs Intended for Transplantation Regulations and Human Tissue (Quality and Safety for Human Application) Regulations
- We are regulated by the Human Tissue Authority