NKF Letters

Letter from Sally Johnson, Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation NHSBT to Timothy Statham OBE, NKF Chief Executive

12 April 2010

Dear Colleague,

As a key organisation that works closely with NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) to encourage more people to sign up as organ donors, I am writing to you regarding an issue related to the Organ Donor Register (ODR) that has been covered in the media this weekend.

You may have heard that NHS Blood and Transplant is investigating a processing error that has led to a number of ODR registrations being incorrectly recorded, where registrants had registered through the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and where they indicated a preference to donate specific organs. The error has occurred within our system and therefore responsibility for correcting it lies with NHSBT and not the DVLA.

Firstly I would like to reassure you that nobody has been registered as an organ donor against their wishes, no data has been lost at any stage, and no other routes to join the NHS Organ Donor Register have been affected. We are taking this error extremely seriously and have completed a thorough investigation to identify the source of the problem. It has now been corrected to ensure that future registrations are accurately recorded.

We have identified that approximately 812,000 records may have been affected, representing just under five per cent of the 17 million records on the ODR. Of these, 444,000 are in the process of being corrected electronically, and a carefully controlled process has begun to do this. However, there remain 368,000 people whose preferences are not clear. We will therefore be writing to all of these donors, asking them to confirm their preferences.

Our investigation has also revealed that since this error occurred a small number of these affected registrants did donate after their death. Our first priority is to contact their families as a matter of urgency to explain that there may have been a discrepancy with the information we were holding in relation to their preference and to apologise for any distress this causes.

There is clearly a risk that as a result of this issue, public confidence in the NHS ODR as means of recording wishes about organ donation may be affected. It is therefore extremely important to us that that key individuals and organisations who share our goal of increasing the number of organs for patients have access to clear and accurate information, and are confident in the action we have taken.

I very much hope that we can rely on your continuing support in promoting the vital message that organ donation saves lives. As you know, patients rely on the generosity of organ donors, and it is incredibly important that people continue to sign up as donors and discuss their wishes with their families.

Yours sincerely

Sally Johnson

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

The National Kidney Federation is registered in England and Wales as a Company limited by guarantee (Company No 5272349) and awarded charitable status (Charity Number 1106735). Give as You Earn contributions No. CAF GY511.

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