OPT OUT IN ENGLAND – TWO YEARS AFTER WEBINAR 

The National Kidney Federation (NKF) and the National Black, Asian, Mixed Race, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Transplant Alliance (NBTA) marked the second  anniversary of the organ donation law change in England.

Agenda 

Welcome and introduction: Colin Salmon NBTA Ambassador and Actor.

Overview of change in law after two years: Anthony Clarkson, NHSBT Director for Organ Donation and Transplantation.

A hospital perspective two years on: Dr Mysore Phanish, Consultant Nephrologist, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals Trust.

A specialist nurse perspective two year on: Harpreet Matharu, Specialist Nurse for Organ Donation, Birmingham Hospital.

Initiatives taken by community organisation

ACLT: Orin Lewis OBE, Chair, NBTA and Chief Executive, ACLT.

Team Margot: Alan Miller, Team Margot Foundation.

JHOD: Prafula Shah, Secretary of JHOD.

Panel discussion and QA: Kirit Modi, Honorary President of the NKF and the NBTA. 

Conclusion: Colin Salmon NBTA Ambassador and Actor. 

Colin Salmon NBTA Ambassador and Actor. Colin is a British actor. He is known for playing Charles Robinson in three James Bond films and James "One" Shade in the Resident Evil film series. He has had roles on many television series such as Tales from the Crypt, 24: Live Another Day, Arrow, Limitless and Master of None. He most recently played General Zod on the Syfy series Krypton and provided his voice and likeness as Agent Carson in the PlayStation VR video game Blood & Truth. Colin is also a passionate supporter and long standing Patron of the ACLT (African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust) and an Ambassador for the NBTA (National BAME Transplant Alliance).

Anthony Clarkson, NHSBT Director for Organ Donation and Transplantation. Anthony qualified as a Registered Nurse in 1994, specialising in Head and Neck Surgery. In 1997 he moved to work in the National Blood Service initially in both Blood and Live Tissue Donation. In 2000 he expanded the service to include Deceased Tissue Donation. In 2005 he took on a national role managing all aspects of Tissue Donation and the Professional Leadership for the UK Eye Retrieval Scheme. Gaining an MSc in Management Development he went on to become the Head of Clinical Development then in 2009 he took up the post of Assistant Director for Organ Donation and Nursing.

In 2018 he was awarded the prestigious HSJ Clinical Leader of the Year Award. In February 2019 Anthony was appointed as Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation. This was the culmination of a 20+ year career in NHSBT and a rise from Bedside to Boardroom within the organisation.

Dr Mysore Keshavmurthy Phanish (M.K.Phanish, MBBS, MD, FRCP, Ph D) has been a consultant kidney doctor since August 2007 at the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust. He graduated in 1993 from India, did post-graduation in General Medicine (MD), arrived in the UK in 1997. His renal specialist training was in Wales and London (St Helier Hospital and Guy’s Hospital). He obtained Ph D in renal cell biology from St Georges’ University of London (work done at SW Thames Institute of Renal Research, St Helier hospital) in 2008.

Harpreet Matharu, Specialist Nurse for Organ Donation, Birmingham Hospital. Since May 2021, in the role of Team Manager for Organ Donation Services in the Midlands. Formerly worked as a Specialist Nurse for Organ Donation (SNOD), with a secondment to NHSBT’s Strategy team. 

I Studied a BSc Honours in Adult Nursing in Leicestershire. Previously worked in an acute stroke unit, Intensive Care, where I completed a post-graduate in Critical care and as a Senior Nurse for Carnival UK and Cunard cruise liners.

I am originally from Kenya, currently based in Birmingham, keen traveller, runner, and yoga fanatic.

Orin Lewis OBE, Chair, NBTA and Chief Executive, ACLT.
Orin Lewis OBE is the co-founder and CEO of the 44 times award winning UK charity, the ACLT (African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust). The charity is dedicated to raising the awareness of the shortage of Black and Ethnic Minority donors on the UK stem cell (bone marrow), blood and organ registers and recruits potential donors to come forward at ACLT registration drives and be involved in the process of offering hope and a healthy future to someone whose disorder may otherwise prove fatal.

Orin is also the Co-Chair of the National Black, Asian, Mixed Race, and Minority Ethnic Transplant Alliance (NBTA) which is a coalition of organisations (secular/community/religious) which seeks to promote positive and influential awareness of organ, blood and stem cell donation/transplantation amongst ethnic and diverse background people in order to increase the number of donors from these communities.

The NBTA aims to promote influential, effective and efficient partnership working between members, encouraging a coordination of initiatives that make the most of skills, experience and infrastructure already available.

Alan Miller, Team Margot Foundation. Alan leads Team Margot Foundation in delivering its strategy and long term objective that every human being, regardless of background, can access effective and timely donations of blood, organ, stem cell and bone marrow to save and improve lifes.  Previously responsible for stakeholder engagement at national donor registers, Anthony Nolan and DKMS Foundation and working with international partners to advance collaborative working, Alan continues to promote and pursue greater equity of transplant for all patients, especially those of Black, Asian, minority ethnic and mixed heritage communities.

Prafula Shah, Secretary, Jain and Hindu Organ Donation Steering Group
With decades of diverse experience as a change communications advisor to some of the UK’s best-known organisations, Prafula leads JHOD's communications portfolio, has spoken at many public events and appeared in several videos to raise awareness of organ donation and help save lives. As a living kidney donor, she is passionate about raising awareness of living donation too and volunteers with several Jain community organisations - work that has been recognised recently by the Jain community with a Jain Community Excellence Award.

Kirit Modi, Honorary President of the NKF and the NBTA. Kirit is a kidney transplant recipient.  He is Hon President of the National Kidney Federation (NKF), Hon President of NBTA (National BAME Transplant Alliance), Chair of the Lister Area Kidney Patients Association (LAKPA) and Chair of the Jain and Hindu Steering Group on organ donation (JHOD). Kirit has frequently spoken at the All Party Parliamentary Kidney Group and written two Manifestos for Change; on BAME issues and on living kidney donation. He is a member of the project board for the Community Investment Scheme run by NHSBT. Kirit received a Points of Light award from the Prime Minister for his work on organ donation in 2018.