Call to Wiganers not to put off the "organ donation conversation"

The NHS’s new Leave Them Certain campaign aims to highlight the impact not knowing has on those left behind and encourage folk to talk about their decision.

It follows the law change last year in England, which means all adults are seen as willing to donate their organs unless they opt out or are in one of the excluded groups.

In Greater Manchester, 951,001 people are currently on the NHS Organ Donor Register, with 54 becoming donors in the last year, but the NHS needs more people to talk with their families about their decision. Many still don’t realise families will still be approached before any donation goes ahead.

As part of the campaign, a new TV advert launched this week featuring the Kakkad family. Shivum’s father Bharat died from a cardiac arrest when he was 63 in 2019, but the family had never spoken about organ donation.

The advert features family footage and memories of Bharat but ends with another memory - when they asked Shivum if his father wanted to be an organ donor and he just didn’t know.

Significantly, Shivum and his family did agree to organ donation, but it was a decision that could have been made easier if they’d had the conversation.

Shivum said: “My father was a very giving person. He did charity work and was a strong believer in the Hindu act of Sewa, of service to God. When the specialist nurse approached us about organ donation, we made our decision. We knew that helping others in need was what my father would have wanted. But I wish we had spoken about it to know for certain and I would urge others to take the opportunity while they still can.”

Shivum hopes that by sharing their family’s story, they will encourage more families, particularly from Asian and other ethnic backgrounds, to support and talk about organ donation.

Research shows that the biggest barrier to talking about organ donation is that it’s never come up in conversation with 34 per cent of people stating this as their reason. Some 27 per cent say they are worried it will upset family, 24 per cent feel they don’t need to tell anyone their decision, 22 per cent don’t want to talk about their own death, 22 per cent say they haven’t got round to it yet and 16 per cent have never thought about organ donation before.

One person who knows the importance of having the conversation is Louise Morgan. Her brother Andrew Pownell died suddenly from a brain haemorrhage in 2011 aged 39. His family knew exactly what he wanted after a conversation about organ donation took place during a family gardening project.

Louise said: “When the specialist nurse came to speak to us, it wasn’t a hard conversation because Andrew had already told us what he wanted. He was a family man and loved being outdoors with all of us. We were actually building a pond in the family garden when the subject of organ donation came up. It might sound strange, but it was a really light-hearted conversation. We had a bit of a laugh about it as Andrew said he would donate everything apart from his eyes. And we joked, well – what are you going to need your eyes for?!”

Andrew went on to help the lives of many other people by donating his heart, lungs, liver, both kidneys, pancreas, skin and tissue.

Unlike Louise’s family, most people still haven’t had the conversation, leaving them unsure of their loved ones’ intentions.

Anthony Clarkson, director of organ and tissue donation and transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “People often tell us that they struggle to find the right time or words to talk about organ donation.

“Unfortunately we see first-hand the impact not knowing has on families when the first time they consider their loved ones wishes around organ donation is when they are seriously ill or have already died. Talk to your friends, talk to your family. Even though the law has changed, you can still sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register to provide your family with added reassurance. Please don’t wait. Have the conversation today.”

The NHS has some guidance to help start the conversation:

l Start by checking in first; “how are you doing?” so you can gauge whether now is a good time. Choose a time when you’re not too distracted or when you’re sharing a space, or time with each other, maybe over a cup of tea or out walking.

l Perhaps there is something that prompts the conversation - seeing the campaign TV advert, or an article in the paper.

l Open with “did you hear?” and not your own point of view; or use a hypothetical “how would you feel if…”

l If faith is important to you, open with talking about what you know about your faith’s beliefs on giving.

l Acknowledge it’s a difficult subject and that you don’t have to agree.

For more visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk on how to discuss your decision

For more on organ donation and to register a decision visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300 123 2323.

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