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The number of patients waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant in the UK has increased to a record high while there has been a sharp drop in donors, official figures show.
More than 8,000 people, including almost 300 children, are on the transplant waiting list, according to NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT). With nearly another 4,000 in need of an organ but temporarily off the list because they are too sick or unavailable for an operation, it means almost 12,000 people are living in limbo, waiting for the call that can mean the difference between life and death.
In the past year, the NHS performed fewer transplants, and fewer people donated organs than the previous year. One senior official at NHSBT said the situation was “incredibly concerning”.
In total, 4,583 patients had a transplant in 2024/25, according to its report, down 2% on 4,651 in 2023/24. The fall in donors was even more dramatic. In total, 1,403 gave organs after dying in 2024/25, down 7% on 1,510 the year before.
Anthony Clarkson, NHSBT’s director of organ and tissue donation and transplantation, said there was an urgent need for more Britons to save lives by registering their decision on the NHS organ donor register and telling their loved ones about their wishes.
“We are facing an incredibly concerning situation where more people than ever are waiting for transplants, but fewer donations are taking place. Tragically, someone will die today waiting for a transplant – we urgently need more people to register their decision to donate and to have these vital conversations with their families.
“Last year, 60% of people who donated after death were on the NHS organ donor register, which made those conversations with families so much easier. People are far more likely to support donation when they know it’s what their relative wanted.”
Consent rates from families asked to support donation when their loved one dies remain “stubbornly low” at 59%, the 181-page NHSBT report said.
Last year, 173 families overruled their relative’s registered or expressed decision to donate. In a further 520 cases, families did not support donation where the law presumes consent – meaning their loved one had not registered to opt out but also had not expressed any decision.
Under the opt-out system, donation can still only go ahead with the family’s support, which is why it remains critical for Britons to have a conversation with and leave relatives certain of their wishes, NHSBT said.
Fiona Loud, policy director of the charity Kidney Care UK, said too many people were dying needlessly while waiting for a transplant. She urged ministers to launch a national awareness campaign to boost the number of donations.
“Sadly, the transplant waiting list is now the longest it has ever been, and we need to act to ensure the number of people waiting for a transplant is reduced. Action is needed now on promotion and prevention to reduce the waiting list and help save lives in 2025 and in the future.”
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