Nurse plea to families over organ donations

Adele Lloyd, a specialist nurse for organ donation, said some opportunities to save lives through donation were being missed because people were not sure of their loved one’s wishes.

Ms Lloyd, who works at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The main barrier to donation is people do not talk about it; when it comes to the crunch they don’t know what their loved one would have wanted. This can be incredibly hard for people unsure of what to decide. Often, people who decline regret it afterwards and that can be just as hard for them.

“I would urge people to talk about organ donation. It isn’t a taboo subject. It is only by raising awareness and speaking to people about it that many more people who are currently on the transplant waiting list will be able to benefit.”

Ms Lloyd said even if people had signed up to the organ donor register it did not necessarily mean their organs would be retrieved if they died as their relatives, if they did not know their wishes, could refuse.

She added: “Families will only be asked to consider organ donation when all attempts to save the patient’s life have failed.

“Our first priority is always to try and save a patient’s life but sometimes despite our best efforts, the patient dies. Only then will donation be considered and a completely different team of doctors would be called in.

“Facing up to the death of a loved one is hard. Having to make a decision about organ donation, when you are unsure what that person would have wanted, can add to the pain. Let your family and friends know your wishes.”

People can donate the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas and small bowel, corneas, bone and skin. To join the NHS organ donor register call 0300 123 2323.