Living organ donation
Organ donation is when you decide to give an organ to save or transform the life of someone else.
- Six people die every week waiting for a kidney transplant in the UK.
- And there are over 7,200 people currently on the waiting list.
- Yet, due to a shortage of organs, the average waiting time for a kidney transplant is 503 days.
The NHS Organ Donor Register
Register your decision on the secure database that keeps a record of your organ donation decision.
Why sign the Organ Donor Register?
Our report showed there are an estimated 7.2 million people in the UK living with chronic kidney disease. That’s more than 10% of the entire population. It’s estimated that the demand for kidney transplantation could be as high as 12,000 every year by 2033.
Those who choose to donate their organs could transform the lives of many other people when they die.
Signing the register is a personal choice
Signing the Organ Donor Register is a personal choice, but remember to have a conversation with your family and close friends to ensure they can give permission for your organs to be used in the event of your death. This is essential even when the new legislative changes come into place. In the last five years, hundreds of families have declined the use of their loved one's organs despite them being on the Organ Donor Register.
Living organ donation
How to become a living kidney donor
We've joined forces with and Give a Kidney, a charity devoted to living kidney donation, to raise awareness of living kidney donation and help more people understand what it means to be a living donor.
Request a living kidney donor buddy
Would you like to connect with someone who has experienced the kidney donation process?
The UK Living Kidney Donation Buddy Support Service allows anyone interested in learning more about living kidney donation – whether considering donating themselves, or know someone else thinking about it – to speak with someone with lived experience of the process.