NHS BLOOD and Transplant says with kidney transplants dropping a third during the pandemic, it’s more important than ever for people in Dorset to share their organ donation decision and consider living kidney donation.

As more than 4,600 people, including 37 patients in Dorset, wait for a kidney transplant, and with this figure expected to rise, NHS Blood and Transplant is calling on everyone in Dorset to share their organ donation decision and also take a moment to consider living kidney donation this World Kidney Day (Thursday 10 March 2022).

Kidney transplants have been the hardest hit area of organ transplantation throughout the pandemic, with deceased donor transplants down 22% and living donor transplants down 60% - an overall drop in kidney transplants of 32% in 2020/21, compared to 2019/2020.

This means around 1,100 fewer patients received a kidney transplant in 2020/21, compared to the year before.

People can donate a kidney in life to a particular individual (a relative, friend or someone they know who is in need of a transplant) or choose to donate anonymously where their kidney will either go to a high priority patient on the transplant list or create a chain of transplants via the UK living kidney sharing scheme.

Living donor transplantation helps patients who wait the longest to have a successful transplant, for example, those who are more difficult to match, are particularly ‘sensitised’ (which means they have higher levels of antibodies which could cause their body to reject a transplanted organ) or are from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background.

Living donation is not for everyone and some people are not suitable donors, so the majority of kidney patients will still be saved by a deceased organ donor. It is more important than ever to tell your family about your organ donation decision to help those on the waiting list.

Even though the law around organ donation has now changed to an opt out system across England, Wales, and Scotland, many people are still not aware that families will still always be consulted before organ donation goes ahead.

For more information, or to register your organ donation decision, visit: www.organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300 123 23 23. NHS app users can also use the service to record, check or update their organ donation decision.