Organ donation falls, with 1,621 people waiting in the Midlands

The NHS has announced an urgent response to a sharp fall in organ donation, as figures show that 1,621 people in the Midlands are currently waiting for a transplant.

Deceased donation rates have dropped by 9 per cent compared with the previous year, according to NHS Blood and Transplant. More than 8,700 people are waiting for a transplant across the UK, and nine people die every week while they wait.

Families saying no

One of the biggest reasons is that families are more often saying no when they are approached. Family consent rates have fallen from 67 per cent in 2020 to 2021 to 57 per cent last year.

Between April 2021 and March 2026, more than 700 potential donations did not go ahead because families were unsure what their loved one would have wanted. That meant around 2,127 transplant opportunities were missed.

Families agree to donation 90 per cent of the time when they know their relative's decision, compared with around 50 per cent when no decision has been recorded.

Fewer people able to donate

Only around 1 per cent of people in the UK die in circumstances where organ donation is possible, and the eligible donor pool has shrunk by around 20 per cent since 2019 to 2020. In the Midlands, around 700 people have died waiting for a transplant over the past decade.

What doctors say

Dr Peter Hewins, Medical Director at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, said: "Behind every one of those statistics is a person hoping for more time, more memories and a chance to live a fuller life."

Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "We are facing one of the most challenging periods for organ donation in over a decade."

What you can do

Registering takes about two minutes online or through the NHS App. One donor can save up to nine lives, and many more people can be helped through tissue donation.