Hundreds saved by transplants at Guy's

More than 250 patients received a transplant at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust last year, according to figures published in NHS Blood and Transplant’s Organ Donation and Transplantation Activity Report 2015/16.

In 2015/16 4,601 patients across the UK had an organ transplant thanks to either living kidney or liver donors or people donating their organs after their death.

The 286 operations carried out last year included:

• 258 kidney transplants
• 28 simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplants.

Of the 256 kidney transplants carried out, 169 were with kidneys from deceased donors – the second largest number performed by any transplant unit in the UK – and 89 were from living donors, the largest number performed by a kidney transplant unit in London.

However, at the end of March 2016, 318 patients at Guy’s and St Thomas’ were on the list for a kidney transplant.

Sadly, too many patients across the UK are still dying while waiting for a transplant due to a shortage of people willing to donate their organs.

Dr Rachel Hilton, consultant nephrologist, says: “We have one of the largest kidney transplant programmes in the UK and we’re extremely grateful to the donors and families across the UK who have made these transplants possible.

“The figures published today show that hundreds of people are benefiting from life-saving transplant surgery at Guy’s Hospital but hundreds more are waiting for a suitable donor organ to become available.”

Sally Johnson, Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, says: “Guy’s and St Thomas’ continued to make a vital contribution to the UK’s transplant programme last year and I hope that the news about the number of transplants carried out will inspire people to want to save and transform lives. 

“With almost all of us prepared to take an organ if we need one, we need to be ready to donate too. Think about what we would want others to do for us if we ever needed a transplant and be prepared to donate. 

“Last year almost four out of ten families who were approached to donate a relative’s organs did not agree to donation taking place. Talking to your relatives about what you want is crucial as it is much more difficult for them to say yes if they don’t know that you wanted to donate.

“There are around 6,500 people waiting for a transplant now and they need families to agree to donate so they can get the organ transplant they so desperately need.”

To join the NHS Organ Donor Register visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300 123 2323. Tell your family you want to donate too.