Organs ‘taken without donor consent’ after records mix-up

Organs may have been wrongly taken from donors in an NHS transplant mix-up, which will now be subject to an independent review.

It is believed there have been up to 21 cases of the wrong organs being taken from donors, with a potential 80,000 people on the national donor register having their donation preferences wrongly recorded, reports the Sunday Telegraph.

NHS Blood and Transplant said the only donors affected by the glitch were those in Scotland, England and Wales who had registered using their driving licence application form, as well as apologising for the errors.

Responding to the news, health secretary Andy Burnham also expressed regret over the incidents, but moved to assure donors that they can have “full confidence” in the register.

However, Joyce Robins of Patient Concern said the data error was unacceptable, adding: “This government has got an absolutely dreadful record when it comes to data, but it is absolutely horrific that such sensitive details were handled in such a careless way.”