Make organ and tissue donation week count

As organ and tissue donation week gets underway, make your donation decision known. Over half of people in Scotland have already recorded their decision, but with an average of 500 people waiting on a transplant at any one time, every opportunity for donation is precious. Everyone has a choice to be a donor or to opt out, but it’s important to record your decision on the
NHS Organ Donor Register and tell loved ones too. If you do nothing, it is assumed you agree to be a donor if you die in circumstances where donation is possible, unless you are in a group for whom the law does not apply.

Having that conversation with loved ones is important as knowing your decision will make it easier for family and friends to honour it, as Specialist Nurse for Organ Donation Jill Adhikari explains: “If a loved one dies in circumstances where organ and tissue donation is a possibility, the role of the Specialist Nurse is to support families through the process. “A sensitive discussion always takes place between the Specialist Nurse and the potential donor family. If a person has registered their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register, we share this information with the family to check it was their loved one’s latest view.

If no decision has been recorded, families are asked if they have any information on their loved one’s views to ensure donation doesn’t proceed if the individual didn’t want it to. “Organ and tissue donation is an important consideration for anyone but making that decision and sharing it can make it so much easier for your loved ones to ensure it is honoured.”

Key campaign messages

• As Organ and Tissue Donation Week gets underway, people across Scotland are being encouraged to make their donation decision known.
• In Scotland everyone has a choice when it comes to organ and tissue donation – to be a donor or to opt out.
•  If you are aged 16 or over and you choose to do nothing, it is assumed you agree to be a donor if you die in
  circumstances where donation is possible, unless you are in a group for whom the opt out system does not apply.
• Whatever you decide, it’s important to record it on the NHS Organ Donor Register and tell your loved ones too.
•  Help make this Week count – don’t leave your loved ones in doubt.
• Register your donation decision and find out more at www.organdonation.scot or call 0300 123 2323.