County hospitals join Transplant Week

by Elizabeth Fish | The Lincolnite, UK

Hospitals in Lincolnshire, including Lincoln County Hospital, are joining a national campaign to inform more people about organ donation.

Transplant Week is run by NHS Blood and Transplant and aims to encourage people to join the NHS Organ Donor Register, potentially saving lives.

It also celebrates those who have helped by donating an organ to others in dire need.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust will be focusing on how long people are having to wait to receive a transplant to raise awareness.

In Lincolnshire alone, there are currently over 500 people waiting on the transplant list.

Lincolnshire’s Specialist Nurse for Organ Donation Emma Richardson sees the week as a great opportunity.

She said: “We are planning to plant a rose bush at Lincoln County Hospital later in the year in memory of all those waiting on the transplant list, who have received a transplant and those who gave a gift of life to others following their death.

“Organ donation is so important and one of the main problems is that people do not know who to talk to or where to go if they want to discuss donation, so we want to raise awareness of the options available to people and how important organ donation is.”

Transplant Week will be held until July 10. To learn more about becoming an organ donor, visit the Transplant Week website.

To sign up, visit the Organ Donation website.