UK: NHS Blood and Transplant Annual Review: Focus on Living Donation

[Clark]

http://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/annualreview/organ_donation_transplantation/focus_living_donation.asp

Focus on Living Donation

In 2010/11 we saw a slight drop in the number of living organ donors to 1,045, representing a 2% decrease on the previous 12 months.

Directed living donations to relatives or friends fell by 3% while the number of undirected living donor transplants (known as altruistic donor transplants), and the paired and pooled donations contributed more than 60 kidney transplants between them. Living donation still contributes more than a third - 38% - of the total kidney transplant programme and remains an integral part of our strategy to save more lives.

In 2010 we developed and created a new post, Lead Nurse - Living Donation. This role supports the development of living organ donation which reflects a growing national trend; one in three kidney transplants are currently performed from a living donor.

The role also provides professional leadership for nurses and co-ordinators working within the field of living donation. The Lead Nurse - Living Donation complement existing training and education opportunities with additional professional development initiatives. They also work with healthcare professionals from the wider NHS to maximise living kidney donation by implementing national guidelines and protocols, service level agreements, setting targets and managing performance.