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Kettering General Hospital’s Organ and Tissue Donation Committee is backing a new NHS campaign to urge local families to be sure of their loved ones wishes around donation.

The ‘Leave them Certain’ campaign’, launched this week (February 10), is needed because research has shown that less than half of adults in England have had that conversation.

KGH committee member Nicola Lee lost her daughter Miriam, aged 17, when she died of a sudden and totally unexpected cardiac arrest in 2016.

Miriam, from Kettering, had spoken to her parents, Nicola and David, about donation and therefore they knew she strongly believed in it.

As a result Miriam’s liver, kidneys and pancreas went on to save, or significantly improve, the lives of four people.

Nicola is now an active member of Kettering General Hospital’s Organ and Tissue Donation Committee and feels that people should discuss their wishes in the event of their death.

She said: “Miriam was an intelligent and friendly 17-year-old with a kind, caring and loving nature and we were devastated when she died.

“We knew she was a strong believer in blood and organ donation and had made her wishes on this very clear to us – so we had no hesitation in offering her organs, bones and soft tissue for transplantation.  

“Miriam’s attitude was that if you would be prepared to accept an organ, you should be prepared to donate.

“I think this is a discussion everyone should have with their loved ones so that things are clear.

“Because things were so clear to us it did make it a little easier to have that discussion around organ donation.”

Organ Donation is the only hope for some

Kettering General Hospital’s Organ and Tissue Donation Committee Chair, Shirley Newman, said: “Organ donation is the only hope for many desperately ill people.

“When someone dies it is always a great loss to those who are left behind but organ donation really does mean that you can pass on the gift of life.

“It is well known that many families feel a sense of pride and comfort from their decision to let their relative’s final act be to save and transform other people’s lives.

“As a committee we are supporting the national campaign to encourage more local people to have a conversation with their loved ones so that they are certain of their donation wishes in the event of their death.”

Why not knowing is worse for all

The Leave Them Certain campaign also aims to highlight the impact not knowing has on the families who are left behind and encourage people talk about their decision.

It follows the law change last year in England, which means that all adults are seen as willing to donate their organs, unless they opt out or are in one of the excluded groups.

Even with the new law many don’t realise that families will still be approached before any donation goes ahead.

Kettering General Hospital’s Clinical Lead for Organ Donation, Dr Pawan Kumar, said: “We know from national research that 80% of people are willing to donate their organs – but only 39% say they have shared their decision.

 

“And while nine in every ten families support organ donation if they knew what their loved one wanted this - this figure sadly falls to around one in two when a decision is not known because it hasn’t been discussed.

“So that’s why we asking people who become aware of this campaign to commit to having that conversation with their loved ones.”

Why people don't do it

Research shows that the biggest barrier to talking about organ donation is that it’s never come up in conversation with 34% of people stating this as their reason.

27% say they are worried it will upset their family or make them feel uncomfortable

 24% feel they don’t need to tell anyone their decision

 22% don’t want to talk about their own death

 22% say they haven’t got round to it yet

16% have never thought about organ donation before.

Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “People often tell us that they struggle to find the right time or words to talk about organ donation, unfortunately we see first-hand the impact not knowing has on families when the first time they consider their loved ones wishes around organ donation is when they are seriously ill or have already died. Talk to your friends, talk to your family. Even though the law has changed, you can still sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register to provide your family with added reassurance. Please don’t wait. Have the conversation today.”

Top tips to help you have the conversation

The NHS has some produced some tips and guidance to help start the conversation:

• Start by checking in first; ‘how are you doing?’ so you can gauge whether now is a good time.
• Choose a time when you’re not too distracted or when you’re sharing a space, or time with each other, maybe over a cup of tea or out walking.
• Perhaps there is something that prompts the conversation - passing a driving test, seeing our campaign TV advert, or an article in the paper.
• Open with ‘did you hear’ and not your own point of view; or use a hypothetical ‘how would you feel if…’
• If faith is important to you, open with talking about what you know about your faith’s beliefs on giving.
• Acknowledge it’s a difficult subject and that you don’t have to agree.

People can find out more by visiting NHSBT’s dedicated pages at www.organdonation.nhs.uk on  how to discuss your decision

For more information on organ donation, and to register your decision, please visit: www.organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300 123 23 23.