Social Care News

Health Minister hails 'historic day' for organ donation in Wales

Wales will become the first place in the UK where people are presumed to have given their consent to donate their organs after death unless they opt out.

AMs voted in favour of  the 'presumed consent' system after a five-hour debate on the Human Transplantation (Wales Bill) in the Senedd on July 2 - a move the Health Minister, Mark Drakeford, called "historic".

Mr Drakeford said: "I am proud that Wales will be the first nation in the UK to take this step. As a society we have shown we are prepared to take action to increase organ donation and to provide hope to those people waiting every week for a transplant."

The legislation could come into force in 2015. Donated organs will go to help those on the list waiting for transplants, a UK-wide system which currently operates with people voluntarily signing up to carry a donor card.

The Welsh Government says it hopes the new system will increase donations and save the lives of those waiting for transplants - according to the Kidney Wales Foundation, one person waiting for an organ transplant dies in Wales every week.

Mr Drakeford added: "I expect the rest of the UK to be watching with great interest when the legislation is implemented in 2015."

• Read more - the BBC's coverage of changes in the organ donation laws in Wales
• See what the Kidney Wales Foundation has to say on organ donation opt-out
• Read about the fall in organ donations in Wales from 2012-2013

Organ donation in figures*

• The aim of the Bill is to increase the number of organs available from Wales, potentially by 25%
• On latest figures this would see the number of donors rise from around 65 donors to 80.
• The average number of transplants anticipated from 15 additional donors would be approximately 26 kidneys, 10 livers, two hearts and four lungs
• Just over 30% of organs donated in Wales are transplanted into people living in Wales

 * Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-23157446