Transplants offer gift of life to 162 in region in dark Covid times

A total of 162 people in region - which included Staffordshire and Shropshire - received their vital transplant, but 306 are still waiting for theirs.

Health chiefs say the active waiting list number reached that figure at the end of March this year, but didn't reflect the true number of people who are in need.

John Forsythe, medical director of organ and tissue donation and transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, says: "This past year has been completely unprecedented in the history of the NHS, as well as in our wider society. So, the fact that 168 people in the West Midlands received an organ transplant is amazing.

"Each one of us in the wider clinical team of donation and transplant, across the UK, are immensely proud of the work to keep organ donation and transplants happening in the most challenging circumstances. But our commitment is nothing compared with donors and their families – the gift of life has been donated by 46 people in the West Midlands in the midst of a tragedy made even more difficult by Covid restrictions.

"However incredible this achievement, we mustn’t forget that there are still thousands of people in need of lifesaving organ transplants and we are doing our utmost to work with clinical teams and donor families to try and close the gap between those receiving a transplant and those still waiting."

The figures were revealed in a report released by NHS Blood and Transplant which showed 3,391 people in the UK had their lives saved thanks to 1,180 people donating their organs after death.

The Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Annual Activity Report 2020/2021 showed donation levels remained high – around 80 per cent of normal transplant activity – despite the virus.

And the number of families giving consent or authorisation for organ donation to go ahead has also risen this year – from 68 per cent to 69 per cent overall for donation across the UK.

Health experts say the figure is "particularly significant" due to relatives often being unable to visit or be with their loved ones in hospital, and consent for organ donation became "even more difficult" for families as sensitive conversations often had to be done virtually rather than face to face.

The change in the law last May in England and in March this year in Scotland, means it will be assumed that people want to be a donor after death unless they register otherwise.

Even though the law around organ donation has now changed, chiefs say it is important to know that people still have a choice and families will still be consulted before organ donation goes ahead.

Mr Forsythe added: “We realise this has been a very worrying time for those patients who are waiting for a transplant and the families supporting those patients. We would like to reassure them that the recovery of organ donation and transplantation, both living and deceased, is well underway, and deceased donation rates are back to pre-Covid levels thanks to the huge support of all those families who agree to donation and the clinical teams who work tirelessly to get the best outcome for patients.”