Website of the Department of Health

Implementation of the Organ Donation Taskforce recommendations

Organ Donation Taskforce Programme Delivery Board

The Board's purpose is to drive delivery of the ODTF Recommendations that aim to increase organ donation by 50% in five years.

• More about the Programme Delivery Board
• Email the Programme Delivery Board (opens new window)
• Letter (18 April2008 ) from NHS Medical Director Sir Bruce Keogh outlining the Department's initial plans for implementing the Organ Donation Taskforce's 14 recommendations.

Organ Donation Taskforce

The UK-wide Organ Donation Taskforce, chaired by Elisabeth Buggins, was established in 2006 to identify barriers to organ donation and recommend actions needed to increase organ donation and procurement within the current legal framework.  The Taskforce's report has been published and is available from the link below.

The Taskforce makes 14 recomendations to the Government, which could see a 50 per cent increase in organ donation in the UK within five years - resulting in an additional 1,200 transplants a year and saving thousands of lives.

At present there are approximately 100 donor transplant coordinators employed locally in the UK to guide and support bereaved families through the donation process. 

The report proposes a radical shift from existing arrangements, recommending the recruitment of around 100 extra donor transplant coordinators.  These extra front line staff and existing coordinators would be employed centrally by NHS Blood and Transplant rather than individual Trusts, which would mean an end to varied employment, and training practices across the country.  Together with other measures to improve donor coordination services this could result in a 10% increase in the consent rate for donation (currently at 60%).

In addition, a strengthened network of dedicated organ retrieval teams would also be established and be available 24 hours a day, working closely with the critical care teams in hospital to retrieve safe high quality organs for transplant across the UK. 

• Organs for transplants: a report from the Organ Donation Taskforce
• Press release 16 January 2008: Fifty per cent increase in organ donation possible within five years
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Organ Donation Taskforce: presumed consent

Alongside this activity, debate has been developing around different systems of consent for organ donation in the UK.  In July 2007, the Chief Medical Officer in his 2006 Annual Report On the State of Public Health  supported the idea of an opt out system with proper safeguards and good public information.  The Prime Minister has also called for a public debate on the issue of presumed consent. 

In recognition of the complex issues and widely differing viewpoints surrounding systems of consent,  the Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson, asked the Organ Donation Taskforce to look at the range of issues involved in an opt out system of consent taking into account the views of the public and stakeholders on the clinical, ethical, legal and societal issues.  The Taskforce has established Expert Working Groups to advise on these areas. 

These pages contain information about the work the Organ Donation Taskforce is undertaking and will be updated regularly over the coming months.

Contributing to the debate

If you wish to let the Taskforce know your view on Presumed Consent or other issues around systems of consent for organ donation you can write to Pauline Rouse, Room 611 Wellington house, Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8UG, or

• email odtfonpresumedconsent@dh.gsi.gov.uk (opens new window)

Further Information about the Taskforce

These pages contain information about the work the Organ Donation Taskforce is undertaking and will be updated regularly over the coming months.

• Organ Donation Taskforce: Membership, terms of reference, working methods and papers
• Organ donation in the UK: background to, and context of, the Taskforce's work

Personal stories

How organ donation can change lives.

• Organ donation - personal stories