Please read below from the NHS donor website as at 5.11.2025:

'A new report published today by NHS Blood and Transplant shows a five year high on the number of patients of Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds receiving an organ transplant.

Latest figures from the Annual Report on Ethnicity Differences in Organ Donation and Transplantation show that in 2023/24, 1,232 patients from ethnic minority backgrounds received lifesaving organ transplants – that’s over 100 more than the year before.

However, almost 80% of organs transplanted into those patients came from white donors, as number of people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities donating organs after death dipped by 19% and there was also a decrease of 8% in living organ donors.

The majority of ethnic minority patients in need of a transplant are waiting for a kidney. Given that kidneys are matched by blood group and tissue type, there is a better chance of not only finding a suitable match from a donor of the same ethnicity, but better outcomes for the patient.'

Do you know enough about organ donation? If not, why have you not done the research; is it out of fear or because you do not think you need to?

Are you an organ donor? If not, why not? If so, what informed your decision?

Will you accept an organ from your child or donate your organ to your child or your parent?

These are issues that will affect us or our family or friends so let us normalise having these discussions with no judgement regardless of our respective choices.

Please let me know your thoughts!