Almost 13,000 lives in the South East saved through organ donation

But more than 800 patients in the region still waiting for a transplant

This Organ Donation Week (23rd – 29th September) NHS Blood and Transplant is celebrating the fact that the NHS Organ Donor Register has been helping to save lives for 30 years through the gift of organ donation – with more than 4.1 million people in the South East declaring their willingness to donate their organs after death.

Since the creation of the NHS Organ Donor Register in 1994, more than 100,000 people in the UK had their lives saved by an organ transplant, including almost 13,000 people in the South East.

Although organ donation has been saving lives in the UK since the 1950s, the NHS Organ Donor Register was created 30 years ago to promote the wider message of organ donation and allow people to record their decision to be a donor.

In the South East, 445 patients received a lifesaving transplant from a deceased donor last year and 234 residents donated their organs after death [1]. Many of those had recorded their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. However, the waiting list for a transplant in the UK is higher than ever before, with 840 patients in the region still actively waiting for a lifesaving organ

Nicky Clifford, from Maidstone in Kent, received a lifesaving kidney transplant 30 years ago due to kidney failure. Her donor had confirmed his decision to donate, and his family supported that decision, allowing Nicky a second chance at life.The 57-year-old, a SEN support worker for young adults, said: “If my angel donor hadn't told his family he wanted to donate, then my life would be very different. He saved me from gruelling dialysis sessions 4 times a day and allowed me to go on to be a mum. I live life for him and am so incredibly grateful for his gift.

“My transplant has allowed me to live life to the full. I have two gorgeous daughters, Megan, 27 and Ella, 23. I love riding my horse, Chester and have done many fundraisers with him for the Kent Patient Kidney Association, of which I am now a trustee.

“I have competed and won medals in many Transplant Games. I have skydived, abseiled, wing walked you name it. I have also been selected for Team GB again after 10 years, to compete at World Transplant Games August 2025 in Germany – all thanks to someone saying yes to being a donor and I can’t thank them enough.” 

Only around 1% of people who die in the UK every year are usually able to donate their organs after death. Donors are typically those who have died in a hospital intensive care unit or emergency department due to brain injuries, cardiac arrest or other trauma.

It is vital that everyone who wants to be a donor registers their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register and talks it through with their families who will be expected to support their decision should the time come.

Families are far more likely to support donation when they already know it was what their relative wanted. Almost 90% of people honoured their family members decision last year when they had either proactively registered their decision to donate on the NHS Organ Donor Register or verbally expressed a decision to be a donor.

 Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, at NHS Blood and Transplant, says: “Every day across the UK there are thousands of patients and their families, waiting for that all important life-saving call. Yet, this is often only possible as a result of another family receiving some of the hardest news they might ever have to hear.

“The change in the law now means that it’s assumed that when someone dies in circumstances where they could be a donor, that they agree to donate if they haven’t officially opted out. However, no-one is automatically added to the Organ Donor Register. You still need to confirm your own decision and your family will still be consulted before donation goes ahead and will be expected to support your decision.

“With 840 patients in the South East waiting for organ transplants, it’s more important than ever to register your organ donation decision and make it known to your family.”

Also, look out for landmarks across the South East turning pink. This year, the UK will once again ‘Go Pink’ for Organ Donation Week. Councils, businesses, charities and famous landmarks up and down the country are turning their lights pink for the week to show their support for the thousands waiting for a transplant.

For more information, or to register your organ donation decision, please visit: www.organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300 123 23 23. NHS app users in England can also use the service to record, check or update their organ donation decision.