Colleagues show support for Organ Donation Week
Clinicians and colleagues at UHDB are urging members of the community to confirm registration of becoming an organ donor if they wish to give the gift of life.
This week, 18 -24 September, is Organ Donation week and in Derbyshire there are currently 102 people waiting for a transplant. In Staffordshire that number is 125.
Although around 866,000 people in the Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Lichfield and Tamworth areas are already on the NHS Organ Donor Register, medical professionals at UHDB are asking those who have signed up to confirm their registration and make their loved ones aware of their wishes.
Gis Robinson, Deputy Medical Director at UHDB, said it is vitally important to confirm registration and to leave loved ones sure of your wishes. Relatives will still always be consulted before organ donation goes ahead and each year, opportunities for transplants are missed because families aren't sure what to do.
Gis said: “I don’t think organ donation is talked about enough and that can potentially leave families and loved ones with some really difficult conversations to have and decisions to make. We know that conversations about the end of life can be tricky and it's really hard talking about death with our loved ones. But my family know what my wishes are and yours should too."
Last year, 118 people received a transplant across Derbyshire and Staffordshire.
Clinical Lead for Organ Donation at Royal Derby Hospital, Dr Greg Fletcher, says more can be done to help save more lives through the route of organ donation and taking two minutes to register as a donor could save up to nine lives.
He said: “Your loved ones will still always be consulted before organ donation goes ahead. Please don’t wait. Speak to your family about organ donation and let them know your decision today.”
This week, UHDB is supporting the organ donation campaign with a variety of promotional activities across the week. You may have seen that the island opposite Royal Derby Hospital is currently displaying an Organ Donation message, while colleagues at UHDB are featuring in a campaign in the Derbion shopping centre to encourage people to become organ donors.
We will also be sharing personal accounts of Organ Donation to mark the week.