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21
Jul 2020
Number of organ donations at Harrogate hospital falls
The number of people who donated organs after they died at Harrogate District Hospital fell from six in 2018/19 to four in 2019/20.
The figures were included in the NHS' annual Transplant Activity Report and show that those who died donated eight kidneys, three livers and one pancreas to the hospital.
Organ donation law changed in May this year to an "opt out" system.
This means that if you are not in an excluded group, and have not confirmed whether you want to be an organ donor – it will be considered that you agree to donate your organs when you die.
Nationally 1,580 people donated at least one organ after they died, a fall of 1% from last year, which the NHS attributed to the coronavirus pandemic.
Across the UK, the number of people whose lives have been improved or saved by organ and tissue donation this year is 3,760.
There are currently 3,108 people in the UK awaiting an organ transplant.
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To coincide with the release of the report, staff at Harrogate District Hospital have shared their own organ donation experiences and encouraged family members to talk to each other about donating organs.
Sarah Whitton, project manager for the programme management office and digital delivery team at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT), lost her younger brother in 2017.
She said:
Beverley Harrison, complementary therapies co-ordinator at HDFT, received an organ donation in 2012 when her liver deteriorated due to auto-immune hepatitis.
After being told she had days to live, the donation saved her life.
She said:
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