Speeches

Norman Lamb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress he has made in implementing the recommendations of NHS Blood and Transplant’s report, Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020: A UK Strategy, published in 2013.

Jane Ellison

Changing behaviour and attitudes towards organ donation is a key feature of the transplantation strategy Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020. This strategy was developed by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) with the support of the four UK Health Departments and sets the agenda for increasing organ donation and transplantation rates to match world class standards over the next few years.

UK Government provides NHSBT with around £60 million a year to support various initiatives and specific projects to help raise organ donation and transplant rates. We continue to take action to build on the increase in donation and transplant rates since 2008, and the current number of people on the Organ Donor Register has increased to 22 million people.

NHSBT works collaboratively with a number of partners to promote organ donation, such as Boots Advantage Card, football clubs and voluntary organisations and the media. Specific initiatives include working with faith groups and communities to encourage organ donation. People can also add their name to the NHS Organ Donation Register via Government owned channels such as applying for a driving licence and paying car tax online.