Information for the public

Organ donation

Organ donation

Donating an organ can give the gift of life to another person. Organ donation is used to help people with organ failure, including failure of the kidneys, liver, heart and lung.

There is currently a shortage of organs for transplant, which means that people may have to wait a long time to receive an organ. More than 10,000 people in the UK currently need a transplant. Of these, 1000 each year – that's 3 a day – will die waiting as there are not enough organs available.

Questions you might like to ask the patient's healthcare team

  • Please can you tell me more about organ donation?

  • Are there any support organisations in my local area?

  • What can I do to help the patient at this time?

  • Will the patient be treated with respect and dignity at all times?

  • Is there some written material (like a leaflet) about organ donation that I can have?

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