Organ donation is a subject I have felt passionately about since a young age. I can’t remember when I joined the national organ donor register but I’m pretty certain it was below the age of eleven. I lost my donor card at the time, probably because my wallet contained other important documents, such as tazos (remember them?) and some chewing gum that was ‘good for another couple of hours later’.
But it isn’t an issue that I spontaneously became aware of. It was something that at a young age my parents had discussed with me, probably following a news item or TV programme. Even though most of the priorities in my life involved video games, I had always been taught to think about the issues.
This is why the recent consultation by the Welsh Assembly Government particularly interested me. ‘Options for changes to the organ donations system in Wales’ is a WAG consultation that closed yesterday. The consultation was a follow-up to a public debate held between October 08 and January 09, which included public meetings throughout Wales.
What struck me as being most noteworthy about the notes taken from the public meeting is that while there seems to be a great deal of support for organ donation, there is also a misunderstanding around some particular issues. Concerns were raised at meetings that gay men cannot be organ donors, which is not the case and there are no restrictions. Many people who attended the meeting were surprised to find out that most faith groups supported organ donation. Something I have to admit surprised me as well.
For any changes to the system to work, it has to be brought in with a planned, structured and high-profile education and media strategy. If people feel that they are not able to make an informed choice, then they are more likely to be concerned, whether it is for their own wishes or those of a relative.
Getting people to discuss their wishes openly must also be a part of the strategy. As it is noted in the consultation, many do not give enough thought to what will happen when they pass away. If you are young, you probably hope your relatives will not be in a position where they have to make this choice, but accidents happen and a death can often be unexpected (the ‘what bus?’ scenario). It may be difficult for the family, but these organs can still potentially be used to give someone else a new lease of life.
The main object of the consultation was to determine whether Wales should be the first country in the UK to implement what is known as a ‘soft opt-out’ system of organ donation. Instead of opting in, by joining the organ donation register and carrying a donor card, it will be assumed that you are happy for your organs to be donated after your death, unless you either ‘opt-out’ or your relatives state that this isn’t something you would have wanted.
The current system is not providing enough donors to meet demand. At present only around 27% of people in Wales are on the organ donor register. As a result of this an average of one person dies every eleven days whilst awaiting an organ transplant. Currently 446 people are awaiting a kidney transplant in Wales but only 80 such operations were performed last year.
The result of this is that people on organ donor registers wait too long to receive a donation, and some die needlessly because of this.
While it may be the case that only 27% are registered as organ donors, studies suggest that 90% would be willing to donate organs after their death.
The move to a soft opt out system gives the best balance between increasing the number of donors, whilst protecting the deceased and their families from unnecessary distress.
I am not completely happy with the idea of a family being able to over-rule the decision someone has made during their lifetime. But any opt-out system must take into account the fact that this is a decision that many do not consider during their lifetime. If a relative is certain that this is not something that the deceased would have wanted, there must be safeguards to allow their wishes to be respected.
Our Shadow Health Minister, Peter Black, has written in response to the consultation expressing the view that the soft opt-out is the right way forward. I should point out, this is a free vote area and not party policy, but something many members of our party feel strongly about.
If the Minister takes forward the soft opt-out option, it will be the right direction and the right choice for patients in Wales. It’s not often that I’ll say something nice about the government, but if they get this right, I’ll make an exception.
But any changes won’t happen overnight, and you could be hit by a car tomorrow (likelyhood increases everytime I have a driving lesson) so in the meantime, why not opt in at the NHS Organ Donation Register.
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