Background To The Taskforce's Work
Transplants currently enable about 2,700 people to pursue an active life in the UK every year. Transplants are the best possible treatment for most people with organ failure.
Kidney transplants are the most common organ transplant performed in the UK. Transplants of the heart, liver and lungs are also regularly carried out. As medicine advances, other vital organs including the pancreas and small bowel are also being used in transplants. Tissue such as corneas, heart valves, skin and bone can also be donated.
The increasing effectiveness of transplantation means that many more patients can be considered for treatment in this way but there is a serious shortage of donors. Around 8,000 people in the UK are currently awaiting a transplant. For some people this means waiting, sometime for years, and undergoing difficult and stressful treatment. Many will die before a suitable organ becomes available.
Read more about this topic: Organ Donation Taskforce
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