YEAR 2001 — The Year for Transplantation

High-visibility version

Members will know that huge strides were made by the NKF during the past year to improve the situation for Dialysis Patients.

The All Party Kidney Group aided and assisted by the NKF kept the issues to the forefront in the House of Commons. The NKF continued is dialogue with Government, and strengthened its support for the Regional Specialised Commissioning Groups lending practical assistance and advice at every stage leading to the initial Regional reports. Now the document ‘Towards a Renal National Service Framework’ has been launched setting the target standards required throughout the nation. It is complimentary to the Government NSF which deals with Diabetes but has a section on Kidney failure. The NKF also launched its “Know your numbers card” and Fact File.

This work must be continued and consolidated, but Year 2001 must also be the year that the NKF turns its attention to Transplantation.

It cannot be right that 7 million people have asked that their names be included in the National Donor Register, but that in 1999 the register was only consulted on a handful of occasions - as revealed in a House of Commons answer.

It cannot be right that only a few Hospitals actively think about the possibility of donation when a death occurs, and that there are too few Transplant Surgeons, Transplant Nurses, Transplant Co-ordinators or critical care beds.

The problems surrounding the system of Transplantation and the lack of available organs are numerous and varied, but the NKF has already made a start:

• The NKF is a leading player in the “Transplant Partnership” a new body encompassing many involved and concerned organisations and chaired by the BMA.
• It fully supports the recommendations of the document ‘Organ Donation in the 21st century.’
• It successfully campaigned to mitigate the perceived damage to organ donation that may have been caused by the pre-Christmas Coronation Street story.
• It has forged close working links with the big Transplantation pharmaceutical companies to increase the pressure for change and improvement - Fujisawa, Roche, Novartis and Wyeth.
• The NKF will produce a Transplant version of the “Know your Numbers” card issued to Dialysis Patients.
• A new zone will exist on the NKF website www.kidney.org.uk devoted to the subject of Living Kidney Donation and offering help and advice to those considering this highly successful form of Transplantation. Representation has already been made to the regulatory body ULTRA - Unrelated Live Transplant Regulatory Authority - to re-consider its stance on unrelated organ donation.
• A Public and Hospital awareness campaign for organ donation will be embarked on to change the ‘mindset’ of those that could make a difference.
• Pressure will now be exerted on the Government and all political Parties to bring in improvements to the whole UK system.
• The NKF expects to be asked to serve on a new National Transplant body as announced by Lord Hunt at the NKF Conference and also has requested a place on the Board of UK Transplant (formerly UKTSSA).
• The NKF has obtained from Jack Straw, the Home Secretary, an undertaking to permit the promotion of organ donation in leaflets included with the October 2002 issue of the electoral registration form sent to every home by local councils.
• The NKF will continue to press for a clear indication of a person’s willingness to donate to be shown on Driving Licences, Credit Cards and store loyalty cards.

Clearly this will be another very busy year for the NKF.

2001 New Year Message
from your Officers and Executive Committee of the
National Kidney Federation

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