Updates, updates, updates
Good evening Everyone
I know it’s a little while since I last updated you but that means this time it’s a bumper update!
I was fortunate enough to have 26th anniversary of my heart transplant last month. It is hard to imagine without my donor I wouldn’t have lived past the age of three and their family’s brave and selfless decision means I’ve already lived 9 times longer than I would have. I’m forever grateful to my donor - a hero.
You may also have received an email from the Department of Health and Social Care informing you the Soft Opt Out system will become law very soon and that they’re carrying out a consultation about what organs and tissues should be considered routine to donate. Please if you get 5 mins follow the link below and complete it - you view matters and from the success of this campaign you will know your input is valued.
I was lucky enough to attend the bi-annual Cardiothoracic Patient Meeting today and listen to amongst others Phil Walton talk about how the Soft Opt Out system would be introduced in the UK ready for the law to be in force from Spring 2020. Following his involvement in the very successful introduction of the same system in Wales in December 2015. There’s likely to be lots of media on the law at Christmas this year, plus resources & information readily available to enable everyone to make an informed decision. It is worth noting your consent will only be considered “deemed” if you do not Opt In or Out and did not inform your loved ones of how you feel about donation. In these cases it will be concluded you were in favour of donation. If you’ve expressed your wishes and/or opted in or out that decision won’t be considered deemed but your family will still be consulted to check you didn’t express any opposite views.
Despite some media last year to suggest the system would potentially reduce the number of donors I am confident it will increase the number of donors. Wales’s success has gone beyond expectations. The latest data from Wales shows consent rates increasing from 58% in 2015 to 73% in 2018. The same success may not occur in England in the short term as we have more people within the BAME communities where it’s less common and within cultural norms to be a donor. So until it’s condidered more commonplace within these communities I would not expect such high success so fast. But we should still have a significant increase in donors and consequently lives saved by transplants which is incredible. The rest of Britain is set to follow in our footsteps introducing the Soft Opt Out system soon after us.
What phenomenal progress after the concept being barely understood let alone considered law 4 years ago! Your support is amazing, please fill out the consultation.
As ever please email me at the address below with any queries:
optoutcampaign@gmail.com
Kindest regards
Lucy