NHS calls for more organ donors in North East and Yorkshire

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is aiming to reach 30 million registered donors by the end of the year, up from the current total of around 29 million.

The campaign, called “One in a Million,” comes in response to declining family consent rates.

Across the UK, family consent has dropped from 69 per cent in 2020/21 to just 57 per cent in 2025/26.

NHS Organ Donor Card (Image: Supplied)

Anthony Clarkson, director of organ and tissue donation and transplantation at NHSBT, said: “Family support for organ donation has been in steady decline over the last few years, and we need to reverse that trend.

“We understand that when families are approached about organ donation, they may be expected to make difficult decisions at an already tragic time.

“That’s why we are asking people in the North East and Yorkshire to be ‘One in a Million’ and drive up the number of people on the NHS Organ Donor Register to 30 million by the start of 2027.

“It gives your family that certainty that you want donation to go ahead and it’s expected that they honour that decision.”

NHS Organ Donor vehicle (Image: Supplied)

Mr Clarkson said even when the wish to donate is recorded, families do sometimes override the decision, leading to lost opportunities for transplants.

He said: “I would urge people who haven’t already done so to express your decision to donate via the Organ Donor Register and for families to remember that decision and honour it should the time come.

“It’s the final act you can do for them to honour their memory and leave a lasting legacy to be proud of.”

3.6 million residents in the North East and Yorkshire are already registered donors.

However, the gap between those willing to donate and those in need remains significant.

Last year in the region, 302 people donated organs after death, an increase from 254 the year before.

Despite this rise, 1,132 patients in the North East and Yorkshire remain on the waiting list for a life-saving transplant.

Nationally, the situation is even more stark.

As of March 31, 2026, there were 8,296 patients on the active UK transplant waiting list, including 241 children.

Last year alone, 434 patients died while waiting for a transplant—63 of them in the North East and Yorkshire.

A further 899 patients were removed from the list due to deteriorating health, and many of them are also believed to have died soon afterwards.

Last year across the UK, 1,428 people donated organs after death, and 4,666 patients received transplants—a two per cent increase from the previous year.

The number of living donors also rose by two per cent to 1,017, making up 42 per cent of all donors.

There was a six per cent rise in corneal transplants, restoring sight to thousands of people.

While public support for organ donation remains high, there is a growing gap between that support and the number of people formally recording their decision.

NHSBT said it is working to modernise systems and invest in new technologies to make more transplants possible.

Earlier this year, the Organ Donation Joint Working Group (ODJWG) released a report calling for a “bolder, braver approach to organ donation.”

The group was formed after the transplant waiting list reached a record high and nearly 5,000 people died without a transplant over the past decade.

The report sets out three key ambitions:

Increasing formal registrations and consent to match public support, Creating a positive clinical culture that prioritises the donor’s wishes and supports families through specialist nurses, Improving how performance is monitored and providing ethical guidance on new and emerging issues.

NHSBT continues to encourage people to talk to their families about their wishes and to formally record their consent on the NHS Organ Donor Register.