The UK is witnessing a record rise in the number of individuals awaiting life-saving organ transplants, coinciding with a sharp decrease in the availability of organ donors, according to recent official statistics. There are currently over 8,000 individuals, including nearly 300 children, registered on the transplant waiting list, as reported by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT). This includes an additional 4,000 individuals who are not currently on the list due to being too ill or unavailable for surgery, bringing the total to almost 12,000 people in a waiting limbo for a transplant that could significantly influence their survival chances.
The past year has seen a reduction in both the number of transplants performed by the NHS and the number of people donating organs. Specifically, 4,583 patients received a transplant in the current period, marking a 2% decrease from the 4,651 recorded the year before. The fall in organ donations was more pronounced, dropping by 7% from 1,510 in 2023/24 to 1,403 in 2024/25.
Expressing deep concern over this situation, Anthony Clarkson, NHSBT’s director of organ and tissue donation and transplantation, highlighted the critical need for a greater number of British individuals to register their organ donation preferences with NHS and have open discussions with their families.
Despite the existence of an NHS organ donor register where 60% of deceased organ donors were registered, consent rates from families, when approached for support after the death of a loved one, remain disappointingly low at 59%. There were instances where families overruled the deceased’s wishes concerning organ donation, and in other cases, did not support donation when the law assumed consent due to no expressed opposition from the deceased.
Fiona Loud, policy director of the charity Kidney Care UK, echoed the urgency of the situation, pointing out that the extended waiting list results in unnecessary deaths while awaiting a transplant. She advocated for a national awareness campaign to increase the number of organ donations, urging for immediate action to tackle both promotion and prevention in order to reduce the waiting list and save lives in 2025 and beyond.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jul/09/number-of-patients-in-uk-waiting-for-lifesaving-organ-transplant-at-record-high
