Profiles

Organ donation is an emotive issue. Many people are asked to make a decision after the trauma of losing a loved one. Despite the potential to save other lives the level of organ donation in the UK is below that of other countries.

Britain has started to adopt a scheme pioneered in Spain; which has the world’s highest level of organ donation.

Becky Smith is the local NHS In House Donor Transplant Coordinator. Based in Hull, Ms Smith was the first in the UK; taking up her role in January 2006. There are now 25 such coordinators across the country and the recent government task force looking into the issue aims to expand the post across the UK.

She has a dual role. One is to promote the issue of organ donations both within the hospital and in the local community. Secondly, she has the sometimes difficult task of asking bereaved relatives if they wish to donate their loved one’s organs.

In the old days doctors alone had to ask for consent for organ donation, with varying success. This new approach means that the way this is done is more “consistent”

Ms Smith says about 25% say yes. A quarter says no. The remaining half is unsure, but often say no as they have not discussed the issue with the deceased. “Many say no as they aren’t sure that is what their loved one would want.”

The new approach has seen an immediate increase in the number of organs available for transfer. Since the post was introduced the number of donors in Hull has risen from an average four a year to 16.

Only certain categories of death allow organs to be transferred. The patient has to be subject to brain-stem death. Where the person is dead but the other organs such as heart and kidneys are still receiving blood.

Ms Smith says this is sometimes difficult to explain as the patients are quite often on life support machines which is keeping them breathing and their heart beating.

Once death is certified the organs have to be removed as quickly as possible before the oxygen supply reaching them stops.

The organs are removed by surgeons in a procedure in which Ms Smith says “the patient is treated with the same care and respect as with any other operation.”

By raising the issue of organ donation Ms Smith hopes that relatives will be aware of the wishes of their loved ones “so when they come into the hospital they have already had that discussion.”