FAMILIES in Cornwall are being urged to talk about organ donation now that the law around it has changed.

Figures published by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) show that last year 1,580 people in the UK donated their organs after they died.

In Cornwall, 19 people donated their organs after death in 2018-19, and 41 people in the county were able to have the organ transplant they needed.

While organ donation has a lot of support in the UK, the coronavirus pandemic has had a wide-reaching impact across the whole NHS.

But the recovery of donation and transplantation is now well under way and the majority of transplant units have now reopened.

There are currently more than 6,000 people in need of a transplant in the UK, with 50 of these patients living in Cornwall. Sadly, in Cornwall in the last five years, 13 people died before they received the organ they desperately needed.

England moved to an opt out system, bringing in Max and Keira’s law, on May 20, 2020 and it is hoped public support for organ donation will continue to improve.

Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: ’Amazing organ donors and their families make life-saving transplants possible, by giving their support and saying ‘yes’ to organ donation.

’It’s wonderful to see that we were, once again, on track to surpass the number of organ donors in 2019/20 than the previous year before COVID-19 hit. This is testament to the selfless families, including 19 families in Cornwall, who agreed to donate their loved one’s organs in the most tragic of circumstances.

’It is disappointing but inevitable that donation and transplantation has been impacted by the worldwide pandemic. What is incredible though is that throughout this crisis, we have continued to see such strong support for organ donation and the most urgent transplants have still gone ahead and saved the lives of desperately ill adults and children.

’As we learn to live with COVID-19 and boosted by the new law and growing public support, we hope more lives than ever before can be saved. I urge everyone in Cornwall to make their organ donation decision and tell their family about it.’

While England has now adopted the ’opt-out’ system, it’s still an individual’s choice whether or not they want to donate their organs.

’Please find out more, and register your decision, by visiting NHS Organ Donor Register and make sure you tell your family:  www.organdonation.nhs.uk.’