Sunday 11 April 2010

Recording of incorrect data on the NHS Organ Donor Register

The stories and reports surrounding the recording of incorrect data on the Organ Donor Register are very confusing. The basic important facts are as follows:

- This error only affects people who registered through the DVLA. All those potentially affected have been identified, and are being contacted by NHSBT. Data from their files will not be used until they have been spoken to and details have been verified.

- The error is not that people have been incorrectly recorded as wanting to donate, rather their specific preferences as to which organs they do and do not want to donate have been incorrectly recorded.

- NHSBT says: “There are a small number of cases, 21 over the past six years, where the person has died and their preferences may not have been correctly recorded. In each case the family gave permission for the donation to take place, but it may not have been in line with the individual’s preferences.”

We have issued the following statement in response to this story:

LLTGL are reassured that the issue of data being incorrectly recorded on the Organ Donor Register is being thoroughly investigated. This error means that within the 16 million willing registered donors, there are a number that registered through the DVLA, whose specific preferences have been incorrectly recorded. Those potentially affected have been identified and are being contacted, and any donations that have taken place involving affected parties have done so with the family’s explicit consent.

We hope that the public do not let this error, which is now being investigated and rectified, detract from the importance of giving the gift of life. When considering organ donation, it is vital to discuss your wishes with your next of kin, to ensure that they are aware of your exact preferences.

Click here to read the full statement from NHSBT. Click here to download and read the full statement from the Donor Family Network.

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