§ Mrs. DeanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if his Department will introduce a monitoring system to assess whether(a) intensive care and (b) accident and emergency staff routinely (i) check the Organ Donor Register whenever a new patient is admitted and (ii) approach patients and relatives about organ donation; [159599]
(2) how many organs he estimates were missed, in intensive care units and accident and emergency wards, which could have been used for transplantation in the last three years; [159600]
(3) what measures his Department is taking to introduce training so that intensive care and accident and emergency staff (a) routinely check the Organ Donor Register whenever a new patient is admitted and (b) approach patients and relatives about organ donations. [159601]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonAn audit of potential donors has been undertaken by UK Transplant since April 2003. It captures information about every death in every intensive care unit in the United Kingdom and records whether the organ donor register was contacted to check the wishes of the deceased.
A recent analysis of the audit data carried out by UK Transplant shows that 250 out of 545, suitable for donation became donors, 25 were contraindicated for medical reasons, 206 relatives refused and for 64 families there was no record of any discussion about donation. In total there were 270 suitable donors who for different reasons did not donate. For physiological reasons not all donors can donate all organs.
UK Transplant will employ an education and training manager to follow up the best practice guidance issued in 2003. A national health service education programme will provide expert education advice on the training needs associated with organ donation and transplantation and produce an education strategy, including the development of an education pack for pre and post graduate use, to deliver raised awareness and knowledge among all relevant NHS staff.