Archive
-
December 2007 (25)
-
November 2007 (25)
-
October 2007 (28)
-
September 2007 (25)
-
August 2007 (18)
Subscribe
Health News RSS feed
Health News
Organ specialists 'to increase transplants by 50%'
The NHS is to employ an extra 100 organ donation 'co-ordinators' in an effort to raise the number of transplants.
The government announcement backs the advice laid out in a report published today by the Organ Donation Taskforce. The new cohort of staff would be employed centrally by the NHS, rather than by individual primary healthcare trusts, and their role would be 'to work with hospitals and guide and support bereaved families through the donation process'.
The report claims that, within five years, the co-ordinators could enable another 1,200 transplants per year – up 50% on the current annual total.
'These recommendations are an essential first step to improve the systems supporting organ donation,' said Health Secretary Alan Johnson. 'The taskforce will now go on to consider the important issue of presumed consent and the role that it could play in increasing organ donation.'
Earlier this week, Gordon Brown indicated that he backed the idea of making organ donation an 'opt-out' decision, a move that has been criticised by some patient groups.
Category: Healthcare
Latest News Stories