Halfway there: organ donor registrations hit new high

51.7% of Scotland’s population are now on the register.

More people than ever are signed up to the Organ Donor Register in Scotland, latest figures show. In 2018, there were 148,000 new registrations from people willing to be organ donors.

And the new registrations mean that the total number of people registered in Scotland has risen to a record high of almost 2.8 million – or 51.7% of Scotland’s population.

Meanwhile, in the last year 829 people in Scotland received a transplant. However there are currently more than 550 people in Scotland waiting for an organ transplant which could save or transform their lives.

The Scottish Government is working on a package of measures to further increase the number of potential donors. This includes legislation introduced to the Scottish Parliament to move to a soft opt-out system for organ and tissue donation. A public consultation in 2017 showed 82% of respondents supporting this move.

Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick (above) said: “It’s great to have a record number of people on the Organ Donor Register. This increases the chance of a potentially life-saving and life-changing gift for someone this year.

“However, with more than 550 people still waiting for a transplant, I would encourage people to consider making it their New Year’s resolution and join the Organ Donor Register. One donor can save up to nine lives and transform even more by donating tissue.

“Thanks to the generosity of donors and their families and the work of the NHS, we’ve seen great progress on organ donation over the last few years. We are working on a number of measures to increase donor numbers and save the lives of more people in Scotland.

“The move to a soft opt-out scheme aims to further increase the number of donors, while honouring the donation decision that a person has made in life.”

The figures and data below are from NHSBT:

The number of opt-in registrations (148,488) in Scotland between 4 December 2017 and 3 December 2018. The total may increase as registrations are processed.

In 2017/18, 829 people in Scotland received an organ or cornea/sclera transplant.

As of 4 December, 563 people are waiting for a transplant.

On 4 December 2018, there were 2,796,456 people residing in Scotland on the UK Organ Donor Register (area defined by the ONS NHS Postcode Directory). This is 51.7% of the Scottish population. This is based on 5,404,700 of the Scottish population, figure taken from the mid 2016 population estimates from the Office of National Statistics.

The Human Tissue (Authorisation) (Scotland) Bill will change organ and tissue donation from the current ‘opt-in’ system to a soft ‘opt-out’ system. Under the proposed system, if someone has not stated a decision about donation, they may be deemed as having authorised it. This would mean that, in addition to ‘opting in’ donation could also proceed where a person had not opted-out. There would also be safeguards to minimise the risk of a person becoming a donor if they would not have wished to donate.

People in Scotland can register to become an organ donor through the Organ Donation Scotland

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Organ donation: Scotland’s opting in

Scotland will move to a soft opt out system for organ and tissue donation, under legislation introduced to the Scottish Parliament. The Human Tissue (Authorisation) (Scotland) Bill will change organ and tissue donation from the current ‘opt in’ system to an ‘opt out’ system.

Under the proposed system, if someone has not stated a decision about donation, they may be deemed as having authorised it.

The Bill contains safeguards to ensure people’s wishes regarding donation are followed and that families will be asked about their loved one’s views to ensure donations don’t occur where the person would not have wished it.

The move to an opt out system received 82% support from respondents in a public consultation in 2017. It will add to measures that have contributed towards improvements in organ donation over the last decade in Scotland, which has seen an 89% increase in the number of deceased organ donors and a 78% increase in organ transplants.

Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell (above) said: “We need to do all we can to further reduce the number of people in Scotland waiting for transplants. We have made significant progress over the past decade, and moving to an opt out system will be part of driving a long term change in attitudes towards organ and tissue donation.

“Organ and tissue donation is an incredible gift. Importantly, under the proposed system, people will still be able to make a choice about donation as they can now and there are safeguards to ensure their wishes are followed. I would encourage people to continue to make a decision about donation and to tell their family.

“Organ donation can only occur in tragic circumstances, and every donor, supported by their family, makes a selfless decision that can save other people’s lives.”

Under the proposed system there will be protections for adults without capacity to understand deemed authorisation, adults resident in Scotland for less than 12 months and children under 16 who will not be subject to deemed authorisation and will only be able to donate if they, or someone on their behalf, explicitly authorises it.

Less than 1% of people die in circumstances that enable organ donation to proceed, as a potential donor usually has to be in an intensive care unit and there may be medical reasons that mean organs are unsuitable for transplantation.

Since 2008 in Scotland, there has been:

An 89% increase in the number of people who donated organs after their death (54 to 102 in 2017/18)
A 78% increase in the number of lifesaving transplant operations from deceased donors (211 to 375 in 2017/18
A 22% decrease in the number of people on the active transplant waiting list (689 to 534 in 2017/18)

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