Wales has experienced a tangible shift in the dialogue surrounding organ donation. This trend started in earnest after the “soft” opt-out law passed in December of 2015. Under this legislation, organ donation upon death is presumed unless the person or their family opt-out in clear terms. The law prompted a 15% improvement in consent rates over the law’s first three years. Yet according to recent reports, its long-term effects are minimal at best.
Welsh organ donations recently hit their highest record since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. In practice, though, challenges remain, made worse by the pandemic’s impacts, reduced media buys, and stunted infrastructure and funding. The new landscape has created profound challenges. Yet the organ donor consent rate across the UK has now fallen to its lowest level in ten years.
Conner Marshall’s mom, Nadine, agreed to his organ donation wishes after his untimely murder. In reflecting on this decision, she made special mention of the dignity with which this process was conducted.
“It was so dignified and so sensitive to Conner,” – Nadine Marshall
Wales has organ donation on the road to success. Yet even with these changes, it has a lower organ donor population than the other countries in the UK. The Welsh government has been at the forefront of looking for new ways to ignite conversations around organ donation. They’re targeting specifically minority ethnic communities, where – according to research – support is 20% lower. Leah McLaughlin, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) spokesperson raised a red flag on that matter. These communities are being subjected to targeted misinformation campaigns that are dangerously distorting perceptions of organ donation.
“What we saw was harmful targeted misinformation campaigns that were targeted at certain subgroups in our communities,” – Leah McLaughlin
While the pandemic has played a role, this decline is not only due to COVID. According to Ms. McLaughlin, these resource constraints have severely restricted the practice of organ donation.
“You can attribute some of the issues to the pandemic but, overall, what’s happened is essentially we don’t have the resources we used to have,” – Leah McLaughlin
The importance of infrastructure Beyond moms, the key to sustaining ongoing conversations to bring new people into the fold is a strong infrastructure. McLaughlin pointed out that the more people are aware of and normalize conversations about end-of-life care, the better rates of consent would be.
“We also need more messages embedded in day-to-day life so it becomes more of a normal expected end of life care, which is what NHSBT is trying to do,” – Leah McLaughlin
Anna-Louise Bates was faced with the heart-wrenching decision of donating her seven-year-old son’s organs after he died in a tragic car accident. At first, their response to Bates’ death was understandably ambivalent, yet Bates’ experience changed her loved ones’ attitude toward organ donation.
“One of my family members when she learned that I had signed up was very shocked that I’d made such a decision and asked me why I did that,” – Anna-Louise Bates
Years later, as Bates was regaining her strength after transplant surgery, the memory hit her. A family member who had previously said she didn’t believe her came to see her in those days. This family member’s change of heart is a perfect illustration of how personal experiences can lead someone to re-evaluate their feelings about organ donation.
“Fast forward to 2023 when I had my transplant, I remember she visited the hospital and looked at me and said ‘I get it now, and I see why it’s important that we all look to do this’,” – Anna-Louise Bates
Our progress on building a better and more inclusive organ donation system has been incredibly derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic. With less major media efforts and outreach, it has gotten much more murky. Debbie Statham from Swansea is one of more than 8200 people across the UK now waiting for a transplant. Statham delivered remarks on the life-changing potential of receiving an organ transplant.
“To think that somebody is going to be able to provide me with a quality of life I’ve never ever been able to experience and I’d be able to do things that I’ve never ever been able to, well, it’s hard to sum it up really, isn’t it?” – Debbie Statham
So as Wales continues to face these challenges, the thirst for greater understanding and community participation is ever more pressing. The country must balance legislative progress with practical resources and support systems to ensure that organ donation becomes a more normalized aspect of healthcare.
