Adults in England to be automatically enrolled as organ donors

February 26, 2020

In 2019, the UK government reported that 80% of people in England supported organ donation but only 38% had opted in. /Ingram/VCG

All English adults are to be automatically enrolled as organ donors unless they choose to opt out under legislation that is set to come into effect in just eight weeks, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, has confirmed.

On Tuesday, the government asked MPs to ensure the new "opt-out" system is up and running from 20 May, with MPs hoping the law will boost the number of organ donations in England.

The act is known as "Max and Keira's law," after Kiera Ball, nine, whose father allowed doctors to use her organs for transplants, saving the lives of four others, including Max Johnson, also nine.

There are currently 5,200 people on the transplant waiting list in England, with 400 National Health Service (NHS) patients losing their lives last year while waiting for organ donations.

According to government estimations, the new legislation, which was passed in 2019, could lead to an additional 700 transplants each year by 2023.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News that he respected people who don't want their organs donated, "but I also really want as many people to donate their organs as possible."

He added: "I've been campaigning for this for years, since before I was health secretary. I'm absolutely thrilled to announce that the opt-out process will come in to force on 20 May."

He went on to describe how the son of a "close family friend" was forced to wait years for a heart transplant, adding how an organ donation allowed the boy to go on to lead a regular life.

In 2019, the UK government reported that 80 percent of people in England supported organ donation but only 38 percent had opted in, leaving legislators to push for the new measures.

Those excluded from the new system include children aged under 18, people who lack the mental capacity to understand the changes and those who have not lived in England for at least 12 months before their death.

Medical staff will also be expected to discuss the donations with the families of patients to respect the individual's choice, while those who do not want to be signed up are able to change their donor status via their GP or the NHS Blood and Transplant's website or helpline.

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