Midlands residents asked to be ‘One in a Million’ as  organ donation support falls by almost a fifth

NHS Blood and Transplant is calling on people in the Midlands to be ‘One in a Million’ by registering their decision to be an organ donor.

The plan, which was announced on 5th August 2026 is to increase the number of people in the UK on the NHS Organ Donor Register - aiming to increase from 29 million to 30 million people to be registered donors by the end of the year.

The challenge of gaining over a million first time UK registrations by the start of 2027 is designed to tackle the growing dilemma of declining family consent rates and ensure more lifesaving transplants can go ahead.

It comes as new figures show that family consent or authorisation across the UK has dropped from 69% in 2020/21 to just 57% in 2025/26 – a fall of almost a fifth in five years – at the very moment when more people than ever are waiting for a life-saving transplant.

Organ donation is far more likely to proceed when someone has recorded their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. Last year, almost 90% of families supported donation when they knew their loved one had made their wishes clear.

Despite strong public support for organ donation in principle, consent at the time of death is falling. Almost 29 million people in the UK have already expressed their decision to be a donor via the NHS Organ Donor Register – with 3.9 million people in the Midlands already registering their decision to donate their organs after death.

NHS Blood and Transplant’s new ambition signals a clear national call to action: to close the gap between the public’s support for donation and the number of people who formally record their decision, and to ensure that every potential donor has the best chance of saving lives.

While there were modest increases in organ donors and transplants across the UK last year, in the Midlands, both donor and recipient numbers remained relatively stable - with 318 people donating after death compared to 317 the previous year – the number of people in the region receiving transplants rose slightly to 711 from 707 last year. The figures underline a widening gap between the number of people who donate organs after death and those 1567 patients who are waiting for a transplant in the Midlands.

The Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Activity Report, published today, shows that in 2025/26 in the UK:

• 1,428 people donated organs after death, an increase of 2% on last year
• 4,666 patients received an organ transplant, an increase of 2% on last year
• The number of living donors increased by 2% to 1017, accounting for 42% of the total number of organ donors
• The number of corneal transplants increased by 6% offering the gift of sight to thousands of people in the UK
• 8,296 patients, including 241 children, were on the active UK transplant waiting list as of 31 March 2026 – the highest number on record.

Sadly, every day someone dies waiting for a transplant. Last year 434 patients died waiting (in the Midlands), and a further 899 patients were removed from the transplant list due to deteriorating health. Many of these patients would have died shortly afterwards.

Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant said: “Family support for organ donation has been in steady decline over the last few years, and we need to reverse that trend. We understand that when families are approached about organ donation, they may be expected to make difficult decisions at an already tragic time. That’s why we are asking people in the Midlands to be ‘One in a Million’ and drive up the number of people on the NHS Organ Donor Register to 30 million by the start of 2027. It gives your family that certainty that you want donation to go ahead and it’s expected that they honour that decision.  

“For many families though, even when their loved one has expressed a wish to donate, they still override that decision for whatever reason, meaning hundreds of potential organ transplant opportunities being lost each year.   

“I would urge people who haven’t already done so to express your decision to donate via the Organ Donor Register and for families to remember that decision and honour it should the time come. It’s the final act you can do for them to honour their memory and leave a lasting legacy to be proud of.”   

Alongside urging more people to register their decision and speak to their families, the NHS is also working to modernise systems and invest in innovation to help improve outcomes and make more transplants possible.

At the start of the year, a new report was produced which called for a ‘bolder, braver approach to organ donation.’  The Organ Donation Joint Working Group (ODJWG) was put in place in response to the transplant waiting list reaching a record high and nearly 5,000 people dying waiting for a life-saving transplant in the last decade.

Support for organ donation is strong in the UK with almost 29 million people having expressed their wish to donate on the NHS Organ Donor Register.

The ODJWG report sets three ambitions:

• Societal action in signing on to the NHS Organ Donor Register and consent matches the high levels of public support for organ donation in principle
• A positive clinical donation culture is created through embedding the Specialist Nurse for Organ Donation within the hospital multidisciplinary team, ensuring families receive the best possible support and that the donor’s best interests remain paramount
• Improve performance monitoring and provide ethical advice on current and emerging organ donation matters

How to help…

• It is quick and easy to register your donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. Call 0300 123 23 23 or visit organdonation.nhs.uk   
• Families are always involved in organ and tissue donation discussions. You can make things easier for your family by telling them you want this to happen
• Anyone can join the NHS Organ Donor Register; age and medical conditions are not necessarily a barrier to donation, especially for tissue donation
• One donor can save or transform up to nine lives through organ donation and save and transform many more by donating tissue