What is living organ donation?
Living organ donations are made by people with spare working organs to people without. They’re usually kidneys, as most people have two. The process usually takes between 3 months and a year.
- Register your interest (below)
- Sign up to the NHS’s donation register
- Get your tissue type tested
- Take the physical and mental assessments
- Undergo the operation
- Recover
Find out more or sign up below.
Interested Register:
| Register Online: organdonation.nhs.uk/register-to-donate/register-your-details By phone: +44 (0) 300 123 23 23. Please QUOTE ACLT Code “ODT 2209” when confirming your organ donation wishes by phone. |
Please remember to discuss your decision with your family so they’re aware.
Living organ donors
Organs can also be donated while the donor is alive. Kidney donation makes up the majority of living organ donation as a healthy person can lead a normal life with only one kidney.
Black patients in need of a kidney are at an even greater disadvantage than those in need of other organs. The number of living donors is dramatically decreasing every year: last year only 17 people came forward to donate their organ. This is becoming a terrifying issue – please read more about how you can help.
What happens after you die
In the event of your death, your organs, blood type, and tissue type will be evaluated. The health and types will be compared to those of the recipient. The more they match, the greater the chance of a successful transplant outcome. So, if the match is strong enough, and with the consent of your next of kin, a surgical team will transplant the organs for which you have given permission.
The problem
There’s a particular need for more people of African, Caribbean, and South Asian ethnicities to donate their organs in the event of their death. People from the same ethnic group are more likely to be a close match, and those with rare tissue types may only be able to accept an organ from someone of the same ethnic origin.
People from Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities are more likely to develop health conditions that can lead to kidney failure. Due to the shortage of matching donors on the register, the average BAME person will wait much longer than the average white patient. During this wait, there is no guarantee of their survival.
ACLT can provide more information and guidance on the process of joining the register. To request this, sign up using the form above.
Not eligible to be a donor?
Don’t worry. There are lots of ways you can get involved with our lifesaving work such as donating blood, getting involved with fundraising or setting up a regular financial donation.