Every year, hundreds of people die waiting for organ transplants. By registering as an organ donor, or simply by discussing your wishes with loved ones, you could potentially help save a life.

What we do

We have specialist staff who champion organ and tissue donation, through education, promotion and facilitation.

Donation is giving an organ or tissue to help someone who needs a transplant. It can save or greatly enhance the life of the recipient and it relies on donors and their families agreeing to donate their organ or tissue.

The NHS Organ Donor Register is a confidential list of people who want to donate their organs and/or tissue. When you die, your organs could help someone else to live. Joining the register makes it easier for everyone to know your wishes and follow them. When you register, tell your family and friends about your decision.

Even if your name is on the register, when you die, the NHS will ask your family or friends to confirm that you had not changed your mind. When you register NHS Blood and Transplant will send you a donor card.

You can join the Organ Donation Register in a number of ways:

Find out what you can donate, more about the organ donor register or register now.

Many people don’t realise that their family’s support is needed for organ donation to go ahead.

If you've never talked to your family about your decision to be a donor, they will not know you want to save lives.

Get more advice on discussing your decision.

From Spring 2020, all adults in England will be considered to have consented to be an organ donor when they die unless they had recorded a decision not to donate or are in one of the excluded groups. This is commonly referred to as an ‘opt out’ system. You may also hear it referred to as 'Max and Keira's Law'.

If there is no recorded decision for you on the NHS Organ Donor Register, it will be assumed that you want to be an organ donor when you die. Organ donation is still a gift, and adults covered by the change will still have a choice about whether they want to be an organ donor and their families will still be approached to discuss the option of organ donation.

The Clinical Lead for Organ Donation at South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is Dr Mohan Ranganathan.

The Specialist Nurses for Organ Donation are part of NHS Blood and Transplant and are available 24/7 by paging 07659137821 and leaving your contact details.

Freddie, from Yorkshire, received a liver transplant in 2015.

"The person who is responsible for Freddie’s gift left a legacy they will never have the honour of knowing about. If you, your child or anyone close to you ever needs an organ, you’ll know the desperation felt by families on the transplant list.”