UK health authorities ‘must address barriers to organ donor consent’

Organ donation rates could be greatly increased in the UK if more was done by authorities to address common barriers to consent, according to a new study.

Research published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia this week has revealed that only 30 percent of the UK population are currently registered on the NHS Organ Donor Register.

Currently, this figure is being limited by factors such as a mistrust of the medical profession or a lack of discussion between the donor and their families, as well as poor common understanding of brain death.

As such, more needs to be done to make sure donation is discussed at the appropriate time by doctors and that specifically designated staff with appropriate training are responsible for making requests.

Paul Murphy, national clinical lead for organ donation at NHS Blood and Transplant: said there has been much "progress in recent years in transforming the systems and processes across the UK to increase rates of organ donation and transplantation, and there is more work needed to improve rates further".

According to official figures, more than 10,000 people in the UK currently need an organ transplant, with 1,000 each year dying due to a lack of available donations.