Tag Archive for: Transplantation News

Organ Donation Week 2022

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NHS Blood and Transplant is urging families to sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register this September.

Adding your name and decision to the NHS Organ Donor Register is the best way to record your decision. Your family will be expected to support what you have decided, so you should also tell them what you want. Adults and children can each save up to nine lives by being an organ donor and improve many more lives by donating tissue too.

Show your support by pledging to record your decision this Organ Donation Week.

View Social Pack PDF


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UK Position Statement on the use of Organs from Hepatitis C Viraemic Donors and Increased Infectious Risk Donors in Hepatitis C Negative Recipients

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British Transplantation Society Statement on Consultation to review policy on Organ Donation

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“ The last decade has seen significant improvements in the organisation of organ donation and in public awareness of the issues around organ donation and transplantation. The British Transplantation Society is very supportive of any review of policy which may lead to an increase in organ donation and transplantation in the United Kingdom and welcomes the outcome of the consultation on organ donation in England.”

BTS Executive Committee

 

Call for funding for Community Initiatives

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Living Donor Transplantation for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Communities

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) have commissioned the National Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Transplant Alliance to manage the delivery of a Living donor Transplantation Initiative, up until March 2018. The funding of £90,000 is in response to a recent decline in the number of living donor transplantations among BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) communities. From 169 living donors from a BAME background in 2013/14 to 136 in 2015/16, there has been a decline of 19.5%.

The coordinated approach of NHSBT commissioned NBTA living transplant initiatives will address the inequality in donation and transplantation for BAME communities, and aim to widen the impact of effective practices that improve and save lives.

There are three key outcomes which NBTA will be required to achieve which are:

  • 40 people from BAME background seeking information or expressing an interest in living donation
  • 25 people from BAME background being assessed for living donation
  • 10 people from BAME background, after assessment, being suitable for living donation

 

There are four priority geographical areas and BAME communities associated with each as follows.

  1. North West London : Hindu and Jain communities
  2. West London: Sikh communities
  3. London ( targeted boroughs): African and African-Caribbean communities
  4. Leicester: Hindu and Sikh communities

 

Although NBTA have four priority areas, NBTA would welcome initiatives from across the UK and funding permitting will be pleased to discuss any proposals.

Following this announcement for seeking submissions, all bids should be made by 5 December 2016, using the pro-forma. The Steering Group will announce decisions on the submissions on15 December 2016 and projects can commence by early 2017. This first round of submissions may be followed by a second round in early 2017, depending on the availability of the funding.

The overall outcome for focussing on BAME living donation work is to close the gap between black and minority ethnic communities and white communities in securing transplantations at the same time as securing savings to the NHS on the costs of healthcare.  To reach these goals and the outcomes NBTA will deliver:

  • Better awareness amongst BAME communities of health inequalities and the need for donation
  • More collaborative working, and sharing of best practice amongst organisations including NHS Blood and Transplant working on donation and transplant to improve health outcomes for BAME communities
  • Incremental change in the numbers of BAME people represented on donation registers and agreeing to transplantation.
  • Collation of resources of effective interventions and materials on donation and transplant issues with BAME communities
  • Behaviour change and increased BAME and Faith Community Engagement.

 

Sally Johnson, Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant said:

“People from Black and Asian communities have a higher incidence of conditions such as diabetes and certain forms of hepatitis, and currently make up a third of the active kidney transplant waiting list.  Although some are able to receive a transplant from a white donor, for many the best match will come from a donor from the same ethnic background. While only 5% of all deceased organ donors currently come from black and Asian backgrounds, living donation can be the life-saving opportunity, a patient waiting for a transplant desperately needs. With increased awareness and improved information, we hope that more potential living donors will come forward and more patients will have their lives saved or transformed.”

 

Orin Lewis OBE, Co-chair of NBTA and Chief Executive of ACLT (African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust) said

“The NBTA applauds NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) for committing its funds and trust in our members to delivering this initiative on behalf of the various UK BAME communities. This NHSBT funded initiative is a major “game changer” for BAME communities in relation to Living donor Transplantation. A successful undertaking of the 3 key outcomes will enable an acceptable positive ripple effect awareness effect from with the aforementioned BAME communities and result in more lives being saved.”

 

For more information on the Living Donor Transplantation Initiative and to request application pack please email Kirit Modi – Steering Group Chair on kiritmodi1@hotmail.com .

The National Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Transplant Alliance (NBTA) is a forum of organisations, set up by the Department of Health, who work together on behalf of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) patients and communities. NBTA’s aims to address the disproportionality in stem cell, blood and organ donation through raising awareness of inequalities, promoting the importance of transplantation; with the aim of increasing the number of BAME donor registrations and consent to transplantation.

For more information on NBTA please visit  http://www.nbta-uk.org.uk/2016/10/invitation-to-make-submissions-for-the-living-transplant-initiative-lti/

and for press interviews please contact either of the following Co-Chairs:

Mr Orin Lewis OBE on 020 3757 7700 or orin@aclt.org

Masters Degree in Transplantation, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom

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University of Liverpool has launched a suite of 4 modules related to transplantation sciences for transplant surgeons, nephrologists and urologists.

Experience in these subspecialties is essential. These modules are offered wholly online study using an interactive electronic platform, which produces a high quality interface for learning and teaching through interactive keynote lectures, discussion board and journal clubs. Each module is 30 credits at Masters level.

Successful completion of all 4 modules and dissertation, students can achieve a Masters Degree. English Language Exam is NOT required for those who studied medicine in English.

This is the first of its kind degree in transplantation from a reputable UK university. The course provides up-to-date knowledge covering many angles of adult, pediatric and pancreatic transplantation clinical practice. Registration starts in September 2016. The course commences in Feb 2017. Typical cost is £900 per/module (dissertation fees to be advised later).

Enquiries to be made via Mr Ahmed Halawa, Consultant Transplant Surgeon, UK  at ahmed.halawa@sth.nhs.uk

Message from the President

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Hello again from the executive team.

Summer is upon us and I have no doubt that some of you will be migrating to the sunshine for some well earned R and R. As many of you will be aware we have made some changes this year.

Firstly, we will soon have a ‘new-look’ website with an updated logo, a fresh and current looking ‘front end’ and a more functional business end. Thank you to all who have contributed to the updated content, especially the chapters and committee leads as well as Lisa, Rachel Johnson, Jan, and Julie, Candi and Charlotte in the secretariat for their efforts with Thumb Design to deliver this.

Congress plans are well underway and, as agreed by council and members at the AGM, our 2017 meeting will have a slightly new feel, with the first day being taken over by 3 themed symposia. We will also run a new style of poster presentations and an MDT plenary session. But more from Lorna in her update.

I would also like to thank all the surgeons who supported and contributed the COS/BTS day symposium at the association of Surgeons meeting in Belfast. It was a great success and showcased the excellent work we do in the field. We were also privileged to have Professor Dorry Segev as our special guest (BJS travelling fellow). His contribution was immense – thank you Dorry.

3-D Printing Could Revolutionise Organ Transplantation

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3D Printing

The recent emergence of 3-D printers promises to change the way we fabricate materials. With an advanced 3-D printer, people will someday be able to make almost anything at home with the proper raw materials.

It should be no surprise that doctors have been looking at this cutting-edge technology and experimenting with how they can use it as a tool to advance the practice of medicine.
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Their ultimate hope is that they will be able to use a 3-D printer to create fully functioning human organs. When the day comes that the process is truly refined, immunosuppressant drugs will finally be unnecessary because the patient’s own cells would be used in the making of the organ. This would ensure acceptance, and the ability to fabricate organs would mean we would never have a shortage again.
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In recent work done jointly by Sydney University and Harvard University, researchers managed to make their way over a significant barrier. The problem was that they couldn’t figure out how to make blood vessels form properly, which would quickly sink a printed organ’s chances at survival. They used a 3-D printer to create tiny capillaries which then led to the formation of blood vessels they were hoping for. Dr. Luiz Bertassoni, the man in charge of the project, cautions people not to jump to the conclusion that we can already start printing fully functioning 3-D organs. While he hopes that we will achieve the technology sooner, he believes it will still be a couple of decades before we advance that far.

Statement on media coverage

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Statement on media coverage about organ donation and women carrying babies diagnosed with non-survivable conditions

In response to a number of media articles implying that women carrying babies with a non-survivable condition will be pressurised into proceeding with their pregnancy in order to donate their babies organs, the British Transplantation Society has issued the following statement

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