UK Transplant helps save thousands of lives every year.
As part of NHS Blood and Transplant, our key role is to ensure that organs donated for transplant are matched and allocated to patients in a fair and unbiased way. Matching, particularly in the case of kidneys, is so important that donation and allocation needs to be organised nationally. The larger the pool, the better the likelihood of a good match.
Unlike some other NHS organisations, we do not have a direct relationship with patients and do not provide "hands on" care. However, in providing support to transplantation services across the UK, everything we do has an impact on the quality of service delivered to individual patients.
Our specific responsibilities include:
- managing the National Transplant Database which includes details of all donors and patients who are waiting for, or who have received, a transplant;
- providing a 24-hour service for the matching and allocation of donated organs and making the transport arrangements to get the organs to patients;
- maintaining the national NHS Organ Donor Register;
- improving organ donation rates by funding initiatives in the wider NHS;
- contributing to the development of performance indicators, standards and protocols which guide the work of organ donation and transplantation;
- acting as a central point for information on transplant matters;
- providing central support to all transplant units in the UK and Republic of Ireland;
- auditing and analysing the results of all organ transplants in the UK and Republic of Ireland to improve patient care; and
- raising public awareness of the importance of organ donation.
History of UK Transplant
UK Transplant was established in 1991 as the UK Transplant Support Service Authority (UKTSSA). In July 2000, UK Transplant was formed with a new, extended remit to increase organ donation rates.
In October 2005 UK Transplant merged with the National Blood Service and Bio Products Laboratory to form NHS Blood and Transplant, a Special Health Authority within the NHS responsible for optimising the supply of blood, organs, plasma and tissues and raising the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of blood and transplant services.
1968 National Tissue Typing and Reference Laboratory (NTTRL) established at Southmead Hospital, Bristol.
1972 National Organ Matching and Distribution Service (NOMDS) founded in Bristol.
1979 NTTRL and NOMDS merge to become UK Transplant Service.
1991 UK Transplant Service becomes Special Health Authority and is renamed United Kingdom Transplant Support Service Authority (UKTSSA).
1993 UKTSSA moves to purpose-built accommodation at Stoke Gifford, Bristol.
2000 UK Transplant takes over from UKTSSA with new, extended remit.
2005 UK Transplant merges with the National Blood Service and Bio Products Laboratory to form NHS Blood and Transplant.
Between 1 April 2006 and 31 March 2007
- 3,086 organ transplants were carried out, thanks to the generosity of 1,495 donors.
- 949 lives were saved in the UK through a heart, lung, liver or combined heart/lungs, liver/kidney, liver/pancreas or heart/kidney transplant.
- 2,137 patients saw their lives dramatically improved by a kidney, pancreas or combined kidney/pancreas transplant.
- A further 2,402 people had their sight restored through a cornea transplant – the highest number in nine years.
- Organs from 793 people who died were used in the UK to save or dramatically improve many people’s lives through 2,384 transplants.
- A record number of non-heartbeating donor kidney transplants took place and accounted for 1 in 7 of all kidney transplants.
- The highest number of combined kidney/pancreas transplants took place (164, representing a 53% increase on 2005-2006).
- More than 9% of transplants were given to recipients under 18 and more than 14% to recipients aged 60 or over.
- More than 17% (nearly one in six) of liver transplants involved recipients aged 60 or over, while patients aged under six received nearly 9% of liver transplants.
- 22% of heart transplants were given to patients under 18, while patients over 60 received 12% of all heart transplants.
- Patients with cystic fibrosis or fibrosing lung disease received 44% of combined heart/lung and lung-only transplants.
- About one in six kidney transplants, including living donor transplants, were received by people of minority ethnic origin in the UK.
- Living donor kidney transplants are increasing – 461 in 2003-2004, 475 in 2004-2005, 589 in 2005-06, and 690 in 2006-2007 – and now represent more than one in four of all kidney transplants.
- 7% of all living kidney transplant recipients were under 18 and 11% were aged 60 or over.
- The majority of living kidney donations in the UK were sibling-to-sibling.
You can find out more about organ donation and join the NHS Organ Donor Register by calling 0845 60 60 400 or visiting the UK Transplant website www.uktransplant.org.uk
Last updated May 2007
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