Healthcare professionals have a duty of care to save your life first.
If – despite their best efforts – death is inevitable, organ and tissue donation will be considered as end of life care discussions start with your loved ones.
Only when end of life care planning is started is the NHS Organ Donor Register accessed by a specialist nurse for organ donation and the possibility of organ donation discussed with your family.
There are strict criteria in place in the United Kingdom to help those caring for the dying, by providing safe, timely and consistent criteria for the diagnosis of death.
Organs are never removed until a patient’s death has been confirmed in line with these criteria.
Most people do not die in circumstances that make it possible for them to donate their organs.
In fact, only around one in 100 people who die in the UK are usually able to be donors. Donors are typically those who have died in a hospital intensive care unit or emergency department.
The organ donation process involves a specialist team who ensure that donors are treated with the greatest care and respect during the removal of organs and tissue for donation.
Sterile
The retrieval of organs takes place in a normal operating theatre under sterile conditions, and is carried out by specialist surgeons. Afterwards the surgical incision is carefully closed and covered by a dressing in the normal way.
Only those organs and tissue specified by the donor and agreed with the family will be removed.
Your faith and beliefs will always be respected. Transplant laws in the UK expressly prohibit the sale of human organs or tissue.
If you have recorded a decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register and want to update your details, change or reaffirm your decision, you can complete the Amend your details form or call 0300 123 23 23.
Please make sure you share your updated decision with your family.
You may not want to make an organ donation decision yourself. You may have specific instructions, or have concerns about your family not supporting your decision.
If you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you can nominate up to two representatives to make the final decision about organ donation on your behalf.
If you die in circumstances where donation is possible, your appointed representative(s) will be asked if your organs should be donated. Your family can override your decision if they don’t know what you want.
Each year, hundreds of opportunities for transplants are missed because families aren’t sure what to do.
Your family will always be consulted about whether you wanted to be an organ donor or not, and clinicians will never proceed with organ donation if your family or loved ones object.
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-app/nhs-app-help-and-support/health-records-in-the-nhs-app/organ-donation/
See also: All You Need to Know About Radon
