British Liver Trust

05 September 2008 @09:35:36

The British Liver Trust is calling for a public debate on presumed consent for organ donation. 

The Trust supports all efforts to increase the number of organs available for liver transplant. 

The Government's Organ Donation Taskforce conducted research into organ donation.

They report that measures can be taken to increase organ donation by 50%, which would make presumed consent unnecessary.

The British Liver Trust supports the Taskforce’s recommendations including:

• Work to make organ donation a usual, not an unusual event, and a routine discussion as part of end-of-life care with health professionals.

• Each NHS Trust should have a clinical donation champion and structures to support this.

• Creating a UK-wide Donation Ethics Group to examine and advise professionals on the legal, ethical and professional issues around transplants.

• Donation activity in every hospital should be monitored and reported to the regulators.

• A UK-wide Organ Donation Organisation should be created. This would make sure that all hospitals and health professionals are working to support organ supply across the UK.

If these recommendations are fully implemented, it may not be necessary to introduce presumed consent.

The Trust’s Director of Information and Education, Imogen Shillito, appeared on BBC Breakfast News on Thursday 04 September.