World Kidney Day: NHS urges people in Cumbria to consider living organ donation

Throughout the pandemic, kidney transplants dropped a third leaving patients waiting longer than normal for the life changing procedure.

This has raised the importance for people to consider what is known as a living kidney donation.

NHS Blood and Transplant says kidney transplant activity is beginning to recover, but this World Kidney Day (March 10) thousands of patients are waiting and could wait longer for their transplant.

More than 4,600 are currently waiting, including 31 patients in Cumbria. This number is set to rise as NHS Blood and Transplant have called on people in Cumbria to share their organ donation decision and also take a moment to consider living kidney donation.

Kidney transplants have been the hardest hit area of organ transplantation throughout the pandemic, with deceased donor transplants down 22 per cent and living donor transplants down 60 per cent.

This is an overall drop in kidney transplants of 32 per cent in 2020/21, compared to 2019/2020.

World Kidney Day (PA)

Because of this, 1100 fewer patients have received a kidney transplant in 2020/21 compared to the previous year.

In living donor transplantation, only 422 patients benefitted instead of the usual 1000 and there were 500 fewer deceased donor transplants.

The waiting list has increased as the backlog has not progressed, leaving many waiting even longer.

What is a living donor transplant?

A living donor transplant is as the name suggests, an organ donated from a living donor. This is possible as most people have two working kidneys and can function with just one.

According to the NHS, approximately 30 out of 100 kidney transplants are from living donors.

Living donor transplantation opens up opportunities for patients waiting for a kidney transplant by minimising the time people need to rely on dialysis and by offering patients who wait the longest i.e. those who are most difficult to match, are particularly ‘sensitised’ (which means they have higher levels of antibodies which could cause their body to reject a transplanted organ) or are from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background, the chance of a successful transplant. 

People can donate a kidney in life to a particular individual (a relative, friend or someone they know who is in need of a transplant) or choose to donate anonymously where their kidney will either go to a high priority patient on the transplant list or create a chain of transplants via the UK living kidney sharing scheme.

Living donation is not for everyone and some people are not suitable donors, so the majority of kidney patients will still be saved by a deceased organ donor.

The NHS has urged it is more important than ever now to inform your family about your organ donation decision to help those on the waiting list.

Even though the law around organ donation has now changed to an opt out system across England, Wales, and Scotland, many people are still not aware that families will still always be consulted before organ donation goes ahead.

Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, at NHS Blood and Transplant, says: “We know the pandemic is a very worrying time for kidney patients as thousands of people, including 31 patients in Cumbria, wait for a life-changing kidney transplant.

“We’re pleased that transplant activity is now recovering and we’re doing everything we can to enable as many transplants as possible to take place as quickly as possible.

“Sadly patients are facing a longer wait and more people need a kidney transplant, so it is more important than ever for people in Cumbria to share their organ donation decision with their family to help others after their death. And if anyone in Cumbria is willing to consider living kidney donation, they can find out more on our website.”

For more information, or to register your organ donation decision you can visit the organ donation website here.