NHS is launching a new campaign urging families to talk about organ donation, following research showing less than half of adults in England have had the conversation.
The Leave them Certain campaign aims to highlight the impact not knowing has on the families who are left behind and encourages people talk about their decision.
It follows the law change last year in England, which means that all adults are seen as willing to donate their organs, unless they opt out or are in one of the excluded groups.
However, many people don’t realise that families will still be approached before any donation goes ahead.
Nine in 10 families support organ donation if they know what their loved one wants, but this figure falls drastically to around half when a decision is not known.
Even though 80% of people are willing to donate their organs, only 39% say they have shared their choice, meaning many opportunities to help people requiring organ donations could be being missed.
Research shows:
· The biggest barrier to talking about organ donation is that it’s never come up in conversation, with 34% of people stating this as their reason
· Over a quarter (27%) say they are worried it will upset their family or make them feel uncomfortable; 24% feel they don’t need to tell anyone their decision; and 22% don’t want to talk about their own death.
· A fifth (22%) say they haven’t got round to it yet while 16% have never thought about organ donation before.
As part of the campaign, a new TV advert will launch this week featuring the Kakkad family.
Shivum Kakkad’s father Bharat died from a cardiac arrest when he was 63 in May 2019, but the family had never spoken about organ donation.
The advert features family footage and memories of Bharat but ends with another memory – when they asked Shivum if his father wanted to be an organ donor and he just didn’t know.
Significantly, Shivum and his family did agree to organ donation, but it was a decision that could have been made easier if they’d had the conversation.
Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “People often tell us that they struggle to find the right time or words to talk about organ donation.
“Unfortunately we see first-hand the impact not knowing has on families when the first time they consider their loved one’s wishes around organ donation is when they are seriously ill or have already died.
“We want everyone to understand the law around organ donation, the choices available to them, and highlight the importance of sharing their decision so families can be certain they knew what their loved one wanted.
“Talk to your friends, talk to your family. Even though the law has changed, you can still sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register to provide your family with added reassurance.
“Please don’t wait, have the conversation today.”
The NHS has some produced some tips and guidance to help start the conversation:
· You already know a lot about each other, this is just one more thing
· Start with an open mind, the reason you’re talking about this is that you don’t know
· Respect the other person’s point of view
· Choose a time when you’re not too distracted
· Perhaps there is something that prompts the conversation – passing a driving test, seeing our campaign TV advert, or an article in the paper
