Wyre Forest District Council is proudly supporting Organ Donation Week from 4 -10 September and is encouraging everyone to talk about organ donation.

Over the last year 24 people in Worcestershire have received lifesaving or life changing transplants. However hundreds of life saving transplants are being missed around the country every year because families don’t know what their relative wanted.

During the week, NHS Blood and Transplant, hospitals, councils, charities and supporters of organ donation are encouraging people across the UK to talk about organ donation with their relatives and friends.

NHS Blood and Transplant surveys show more than 80% of people support organ donation but only around 41% of people have ever talked about it. Research shows that women are 30% more likely to start a conversation about organ donation than men.

Wyre Forest District Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, Health and Well-being Councillor Chris Rogers said: “We’re proud to support this lifesaving appeal and it’s really easy for everyone to take part – just have a chat.

“That chat might be the next time you sit down for a meal, when you are shopping or working, or when you are just driving in the car. If you want to be a donor, your family’s agreement is still needed for donation to go ahead, even if you are on the NHS Organ Donor Register.”

Families who agree to donate say it helps with their grief and that they feel enormous sense of pride at knowing their relative gave others the chance of a new beginning.

Organ Donation Week

Anthony Clarkson, Assistant Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “We are really grateful for Wyre Forest District Council’s support because hundreds of lives are being lost every year.

“This Organ Donation Week, tell your family you want to save lives.  A few words now can make an extraordinary difference. If you are unsure about donation, please ask yourselves as a family; what would you do if one of you needed a transplant?  Would you accept a life-saving organ? If you’d take an organ, shouldn’t you be prepared to donate?”

There is a particular need for more black and Asian people to talk about donation. Patients from ethnic minority communities make up 29% of the national transplant waiting list but people from these communities are less likely to agree to donate. Organs from people from the same ethnic background are more likely to be a close match and give the best chance of a positive outcome.

See www.organdonation.nhs.uk for more information or join the organ donation register here.