New figures show that nine patients helped to save or improve lives by donating their organs after death at hospitals run by East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) last year.
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and ESNEFT have released the figures to mark the publication of the annual Organ Donation and Transplantation Activity Report. Five of the donations took place at Colchester, with the remaining four at Ipswich.
The report shows deceased organ donation in the UK increased by 2% last year, with a total of 1,429 people donating their organs after death.
Despite this, the number of people listed for a transplant has increased, with more than 7,000 people now on the active waiting list.
Justine Ferneyhough, who is a specialist nurse in Colchester Hospital’s critical care unit, said: “Please register your organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register.”
Sinead Benefer, specialist nurse at Ipswich, added: “If your family know what you want to happen when you die, they are much more likely to honour that decision and make organ donation a possibility.”
Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation at NHSBT, said: “More than 50,000 people are alive in the UK today thanks to the life-saving gift of organ donation. But this wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of our incredible donors and their families who have given their support for donation at what is often the most difficult of times.
“We urge everyone who supports organ donation to confirm their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. It is a simple action which only takes two minutes but can ultimately save lives.”
Find out more and register your decision by visiting NHS Organ Donor Register and share your decision with your family.
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