Lee Coulthard, Specialist Nurse for Organ Donation at Blackpool Victoria Hospital outside one of the lifts
Blackpool Victoria Hospital has lifted its campaign to promote organ donation to new heights.
The hospital is working with NHS Blood and Transplant to promote organ donation to all its staff, patients and visitors and stepped up its campaign this week by covering the doors of a number of lifts with promotional messages urging people to sign up to be an organ donor.
There are 55 people currently in the Fylde coast area who need a lifesaving organ transplant. They need people to say yes to organ donation so they can get the organ they so desperately need.
The hospital is promoting organ donation in the hope that it will make people think about it while waiting for the lift and then go on to register. This would hopefully, in turn, open the door to more people getting the transplants they need.
Over the past year 30 people in Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre have had their lives saved or transformed thanks to deceased organ donors from across the UK.
Nationally however three people a day still die nationally, whilst in need of a transplant due to the shortage of people willing to donate organs.
Lee Coulthard, Specialist Nurse for Organ Donation at Blackpool Victoria Hospital said: “Organ donation saves lives and one organ donor can save or transform up to nine lives and even more by donating tissue as well. I know that more families agree to donation if they know their loved one was on the Organ Donor Register.
“We know that eight in 10 of us agree it’s important to tell those closest to us our views about organ donation after death, but only a third say their family knows their wishes about organ donation.
“As such we are asking people to save their family from having to guess what they would have wanted and join the NHS Organ Donor Register and let them know your decision.’’
Dr Jason Cupitt, Clinical Lead for Organ Donation at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are delighted to be promoting organ donation on the doors of some of the lifts within the hospital.
“Transplants save lives and are only possible if people are willing to donate.
“Every single hospital in the UK will be in a town or city where there are patients waiting for a transplant and we hope this initiative will prompt our employees, patients and visitors to the hospital to think about organ donation and to commit to save lives as a donor by signing up to the NHS Organ Donor Register.”
Sign up today at www.organdonation.nhs.uk and let your friends and family know you want to help others after your death.