More than 300 people around York need a lifesaving organ transplant

Three hundred people in the York NHS region are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant.

They need people to say yes to organ donation so they can get the organ they so desperately need.

That’s the message of a new campaign as York Hospital works with NHS Blood and Transplant to promote organ donation to all its staff, patients and visitors.

The doors to the main lift in reception and by the head and neck department have been covered with promotional messages urging people to sign up to be an organ donor.

The hospital is promoting organ donation in the hope that it will make people think about it while waiting for the lift and then go on to register.

This will hopefully, in turn, open the door to more people getting the transplants they need.

‘Commit to save lives’

“Transplants save lives and are only possible if people are willing to donate,” said Mike Proctor, chief executive of York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, adding:

• Every single hospital in the UK will be in a town or city where there are patients waiting for a transplant and we hope this initiative will prompt our employees, patients and visitors to the hospital to think about organ donation and to commit to save lives as a donor by signing up to the NHS Organ Donor Register.

David Border is a consultant in nephrology renal medicine at the trust. He said more families agree to donation if they know their loved one was on the Organ Donor Register.

“To save your family and loved ones from having to guess what you would have wanted, I would urge everyone to join NHS Organ Donor Register and let your family know your decision.”

You can sign up at the NHS organ donation website.