University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust has an active organ and tissue donation policy. We believe that organ and tissue donation should be considered for all patients who die in circumstances where donation may be a possibility.

Patients who are ventilated at the end of life may be able to donate their organs after death. The majority of these patients are cared for in the intensive care unit, but some may be in the emergency department or high dependency unit.

Organs and tissues that can be donated include:

heart
lungs
liver
kidneys
pancreas
small bowel
corneas
skin
bone
tendons
meniscus
blood vessels

Three people die every day waiting for an organ transplant. By registering your decision on the organ donor register and telling your family, you may be able to help someone after your death. The lives of hundreds of transplant patients are saved or changed for the better each year as a result of these donations.

The opt out system

On 20 May 2020, the law around organ donation in England was changed to allow more people to save more lives.

Click here to watch an animation about the opt out system.

Now that the law has changed, it will be considered that you agree to become an organ donor when you die, if:

You still have a choice whether or not you want to become an organ donor, and can register or amend your decision at any time.

Knowing what your relative wanted helps families support their decision around organ donation at what is often a difficult time.

The UHS specialist nurse – organ donation team said: “We need more people in Southampton to talk with their loved ones about organ donation to give them the certainty they need to support their organ donation decision.”

“Please register your organ donation decision and tell your family. Letting your family know what you want to happen when you die will make it much easier if there comes a time when organ donation is a possibility. Even now the law has changed, your loved ones will still always be consulted before organ donation goes ahead. Please don’t wait. Speak to your family about organ donation and let them know your decision today – leave them certain.”

To register your donation decision, please telephone 0300 123 2323 or visit the organ donation.

You can also do something amazing and save a life by giving blood. Find out if you are eligible and make an appointment with the National Blood Service.

Tissue donation

Every year many hundreds of lives are dramatically improved through the use of tissues donated after someone dies. Eye donation may give someone the gift of sight, skin donation can provide grafts for patients with severe burns and prevent infection, heart tissue and valve donation can also save lives of patients with cardiac conditions.

Tissue donation is entirely voluntary and is dependent on the generosity of patients and their families. There are some conditions that prevent donations taking place and donations must take place within 48 hours of the person dying (24 hours for eye tissues).

If you think that the person who has died carried a donor card, was registered on the organ donor register, or would want to donate tissue to change the lives of others, please contact the bereavement care team on 023 8120 4587 who will discuss this further with you.

If the death occurred outside normal working hours, you can contact the NHS Blood and Transplant Service direct on 0800 432 0559. Tissue donation will not delay any funeral arrangements and, because great care is taken to restore the patient’s natural appearance, it will still be possible to arrange a viewing after the donation has taken place.

Improving patient care

In recognition of the Trust’s support of organ donation, the UHS organ donation committee have also been able to fund a number of projects within UHS with the aim of creating a better environment for care, transforming healthcare systems and improving the knowledge and understanding of the workforce and the public. These projects have included:

Teleconferencing facilities for the bereavement care team, enabling them to meet remotely with bereaved families.
Refurbishment of the chaplaincy relatives’ facilities
Purchasing bereavement books for the hospital palliative care team
Creating a ‘memory making’ resource cupboard available to all intensive care units, to provide keepsakes to bereaved families
Patient transfer equipment for the neuro intensive care unit
Clinical equipment for theatres (AccuVein devices)
Wall-mounted pictures for neuro theatre anaesthetic rooms
Organ donation recognition artwork in the main hospital entrance, recognising the gift of life given by donors and their families.

Contact us

For all clinical referrals and advice regarding potential organ donation, please contact the organ donor referral line on 03000 20 30 40.

For all tissue donation enquiries, please contact either the UHS bereavement care team on 023 8120 4587 or the National Referral Centre on 0800 432 0559.

To register on the organ donor register, please telephone 0300 123 2323 or visit the organ donation.

To contact the UHS specialist nurse – organ donation team regarding a non-urgent or non-clinical issue (e.g. requests for teaching/information sessions), please email snod@uhs.nhs.uk

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