Aintree Hospital announces plan to increase organ donation

Mar 3 2008 by Liza Williams, Liverpool Daily Post

A LIVERPOOL hospital is pushing to increase organ donation and help families deal with the stresses involved by employing a new member of staff.

University Hospital Aintree has welcomed its first in-house organ donor co-ordinator, just weeks after the Government-led organ donation taskforce recommended that more be appointed in an effort to increase donation by 50% over the next five years.

Kate Ross has joined the critical care team at the Trust to promote organ donation and help families affected.

Funded by health authority NHS Blood and Transplant, Kate will cover both University Hospital Aintree and the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

Kate said: “My role will be to promote and facilitate organ donation for University Hospital Aintree and the Walton Centre.

“I am looking forward to being there to provide support for staff and relatives at a difficult time.”

Collette Parr-Owens, clinical manager of the Critical Care Unit at University Hospital Aintree said: “We’re pleased that UK Transplant have decided to fund this vital role and look forward to working with the new co-ordinator to deliver the best possible service to our patients and their families at what is always a particularly difficult and sensitive time.

“Once a discussion between the doctors and the family has taken place and the family have decided to consider organ donation, the co-ordinator will be asked to help families with the whole process.

“The co-ordinator will also work on educational training for the staff in the hospital to provide them with even more knowledge of the organ donation process.”

Steve Bell, regional manger for donor care and co-ordination in the North West, said: “The impetus for this new role came from Aintree because of the team’s interest in the organ donor scheme.

“We had discussions with staff at Aintree and the Walton Centre, who were also happy to support the scheme, and decided to fund this new post, largely because of the enthusiasm of University Hospital Aintree and the geographical position which meant the role could serve the two centres.

“Transplant co-ordinators have traditionally worked with recipients of transplanted organs but now the roles have been split so they can concentrate on facilitating organ donation and supporting potential donor families.

“Kate’s role will be hospital-based so she can quickly respond to any potential donor situation offering support and guidance to potential donor families, and assisting hospital staff in carrying out the wishes of the patient”.

Currently, more than 8,000 people in the UK need an organ transplant. At the end of March 2007, 7,219 patients were listed as actively waiting for a transplant.

lizawilliams