NKF Letters

From: Timothy F Statham OBE
National Kidney Federation - UK

To:- Dr Peter Doyle
Senior Medical Officer
Department of Health
Richmond House
79 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2NS

10 March 2001

Dear Peter,

Following on from the ORGAN DONATION SUMMIT

When I knew that I was to be invited to the organ donation summit, I sent out a note to my key patient members, asking for ideas that would assist in raising the number of card carrying donors and the number of  organ Transplants. I have received a range of different suggestions and forward them on to you for further consideration.  I have tried to collate them as best I can into “activity types”.

May I just add that I felt the summit was very positive. I appreciated the opportunity to attend.

Yours sincerely

Timothy F Statham OBE
General Manager
National Kidney Federation

Suggestions:-

MEDIA/PUBLICITY

• More positive Television “Soap” stories about donation
• More radio stories – “The Archers” etc
• More positive stories in the Newspapers
• Make a clear distinction between organ retention and organ donation.
• Involve Sport – approach all Sports Governing bodies. Promote donation in Football club magazines and pitch side hoardings.
• Involve commerce – Fast food outlets such as McDonalds could promote organ donation if approached by Government. Confectionary wrappers, i.e, Cadburys
• Government email should carry an organ donor message as a signature with links to relevant sites
• Persuade Petrol companies to promote donation on Petrol Pumps.
• More concentration upon the affected Ethnic Minorities communities.
• Educate the populace, starting with schools.
• Government television campaign like the “Give Blood” one is required.
• Cinema advertising
• Promote organ donation in Supermarket magazines

PROCEDURE

• Clear up the confusion and legality surrounding “elective ventilation”
• Expand non-heart beating donation – Law needs clarification.
• Compel Local Authorities to include organ donation forms every year with the electoral registration forms
• Use the census to distribute material
• Connect the Organ donor register seamlessly to the electoral role
• Make the Organ Donor register into an effective resource that is both large and used.
• Embrace the best points of the “Spanish” system
• Introduce “soft” Presumed Consent
• Since the European Driving Licence was introduced the situation has become muddled. Codes on Licences indicating willingness to donate are not good enough.
• Information about Organ donation must be sent out to GP Surgeries, Hospitals and Pharmacies automatically.  Since this practice was stopped the leaflets have “disappeared”. You cannot rely on people ordering supplies themselves.

LIVE DONORS

• Permit altruistic donation from unrelated “Good Samaritan” donors.
• Encourage laproscopic techniques.
• Ensure, rather than recommend, that Live donors are re-imbursed for actual costs, and loss of earnings. This must not become a real bar to Live Transplantation.
• The encouraging increase in 1999 and 2000 must not be allowed to stall. We can make giant strides to improve on a national figure of just 332 in year 2000.

NHS

• Increase the number of Intensive Care beds that can be used for Transplantation
• More training of Intensive Care Unit staff on approaches to relatives about donation. Organ procurement should be part of the training given to all Nurses and Doctors.
• Establish “Donor Heads” in all hospitals (Transplant Co-ordinators perhaps) who promote donation and train staff
• Patient representative(s) should serve on the board of UK Transplant and sub committees
• Must be more Transplant Co-ordinators.  Should be centrally employed, working to a National standard/protocol. They need a career structure and recognition as a single professional group.
• Kidney quality – some surgeons are only taking class “A” kidneys. Lesser quality organs can last just as long and save lives. Requires change of practice.
• Hospitals must develop a culture of donation – the mindset needs to alter.
• More uniformity needed nationwide as to which patients can get onto the Transplant waiting list.
• Acute Transplant Surgeon shortages must be addresses – same with transplant Nurses.
• Closing Transplant Units to fit existing staff numbers must end.  The concept of “Transplant centres of excellence” cannot be a front for reductions in service and Transplants. The closer a patient is to a Transplant Unit, the more likely that patient is to be offered a Transplant.

COST

• Transplanted patients usually contribute to the economy of the nation – frequently not the case with Dialysis patients.

National Kidney Federation

The National Kidney Federation cannot accept responsibility for the views expressed by others in these letters pages.

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