2.8m people in the East have registered as organ donors – have you?

Why it matters: Evidence shows families support organ donation going ahead in 90% of cases when their loved one had registered a decision – but this drops to below 50% when they had not. Family consent has fallen from 69% in 2020/21 to 57% in 2025/26 across the UK, a fall of almost a fifth in five years.

The details: NHS Blood and Transplant has launched a campaign calling on people to be "One in a Million," with the aim of increasing the number of people on the NHS Organ Donor Register from 29 million to 30 million by the start of 2027.

• 2.8 million people in the East of England have already registered their decision to donate.
• Almost 29 million people across the UK have expressed a decision to donate via the register.
• One donor can save or transform up to nine lives through organ donation, and many more through tissue donation.
• In the East of England in 2025/26, 265 people donated organs, up from 216 the previous year.
• 434 patients in the region received a transplant, up from 423 the previous year.
• 653 patients in the East of England were waiting for a transplant, and 27 died while waiting last year.

Across the UK, 8,296 patients – including 241 children – were on the active transplant waiting list as of 31 March 2026, the highest number on record. Last year, 434 patients nationally died waiting for a transplant, and a further 899 were removed from the list due to deteriorating health.

What they're saying: 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 East of England 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."

He added: "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."

How to register: People can register their decision by calling 0300 123 23 23 or visiting www.organdonation.nhs.uk. Anyone can join the register, and age and medical conditions are not necessarily barriers to donation, particularly for tissue donation.

The bottom line: With transplant waiting lists at a record high, NHS Blood and Transplant says registering a decision – and telling family members about it – makes it far more likely donation will go ahead when the time comes.

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