OVER 900 people in the South East are currently on the waiting list for an organ transplant – as it’s revealed more people than ever before are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant in the UK – but donor and transplant numbers have fallen.
New figures released today (9 July) by NHS Blood and Transplant reveal the stark reality that 8,096 patients in the UK were on the active transplant waiting list as of 31 March 2025 – the highest number on record.
With a further 3,883 temporarily suspended because they are either currently unfit for transplant or temporarily unavailable – that means almost 12,000 people are living in daily uncertainty, unsure if they will get the organ they need.
Last year saw over 100 fewer deceased organ donors nationally, resulting in a 2% drop in life-saving transplants compared to the previous year. In the South East there was a drop in deceased organ donors with 213 people donating after death compared to 234 the previous year.
The Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Activity Report shows that in the UK in 2024/25:
4,583 patients received organ transplants – 2% less than the previous year
1,403 people donated organs after death – a 7% decrease on the year before
Living donors now account for over 40% of all organ donations with 991 people donating a kidney or part of their liver
The number of cornea transplants increased by 11% offering the gift of sight to hundreds of people in the UK.
In the South East, 575 people received an organ transplant last year compared to 594 the year before.
Consent/authorisation rates across the UK remain stubbornly low at 59%.
Last year, a UK total of 173 families overruled their relative’s registered or expressed decision to donate.
In a further 520 cases, families did not support donation where the law presumes consent – meaning their loved one had not registered to opt out but also hadn’t expressed any decision.
Under the ‘opt-out’ system donation can still only go ahead with the family’s support, which is why it remains so important to have the conversation and leave your loved ones certain of your wishes.
And today, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, Anthony Clarkson, is urging people to take action by registering their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register and having that vital conversation with loved ones.
He said:
“We are facing an incredibly concerning situation where more people than ever are waiting for transplants, but fewer donations are taking place. Tragically, someone will die today waiting for a transplant and we urgently need more people to register their decision to donate and to have these vital conversations with their families.
“Last year, 60% of people who donated after death were on the NHS Organ Donor Register, which made those conversations with families so much easier. People are far more likely to support donation when they know it’s what their relative wanted.”
Sadly, every day someone dies waiting for a transplant. Last year 463 patients died waiting, and a further 911 patients were removed from the transplant list due to deteriorating health and many of these patients would have died shortly afterwards.
Alongside urging more people to register their decision and speak to their families, the NHS is also working to modernise systems and invest in innovation to help improve outcomes and make more transplants possible.
Anthony Clarkson added:
“To truly reduce the transplant waiting list, we need to take action across all aspects of organ donation and transplantation. That means modernising the NHS Organ Donor Register, having more clarity about what the law change really means and investing in innovative technologies that preserve and treat organs to improve transplant success rates.”
To find out more, and confirm your support for organ donation, visit: www.organdonation.nhs.uk, call 0300 123 23 23 or use the NHS app.
