§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many registrations have been made on the national computerised registration system for kidney donors; [20516]
(2) what guidelines and information have been given to transplant co-ordinators regarding the national computerised registration system; [20517]
(3) what is the progress of the national computerised registration scheme for kidney donors by region; and if she will make a statement. [20519]
§ Mr. SackvilleSince the national health service organ donor register was launched on 6 October 1994 nearly 1,200,0001 people have joined the register. A regional analysis is not available at present. The United Kingdom Transplant Co-ordinators Association is represented on the Health Departments' steering group for the NHS organ donor register. Transplant unit staff were informed about the register before it was launched and on 31 March 1995 the chief executive of the United Kingdom Transplant Support Service Authority sent transplant co-ordinators the procedure for using the register. A resources and information pack was recently sent to all transplant co-ordinators.
1 Around 440,000 of these were transferred from the existing Lifeline Wales register.
§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what efforts her Department has made to promote and advertise the national computerised registration system for kidney donors. [20518]
§ Mr. SackvilleWe have produced a wide range of publicity material to support the NHS organ donor register since its launch in October 1994, at a cost of £1.53 million in 1994–95. This has included the delivery of leaflets, including registration forms, to over 19 million homes with local free newspapers or via the Royal Mail; national, regional and local newspaper advertisements; TV fillers; 25,000 posters; freepost and freephone facilities; displays in post offices; and distribution of leaflets and forms to all chemists and GPs.