ORGAN donation rose over the six months an "opt-out" programme was introduced.

Last December the Welsh government launched an automatic consent scheme for organ donation. People would have to remove consent, rather than the current system where donors opt-in.

Due to this change, from December 2015 to June 2016 there were 31 organ donations compared to 23 the previous year, 10 of which were due to deemed consent.

Although this is a small increase, just one donor has the potential to save nine lives with their organs meaning this small increase could have saved dozens of lives.

This success in Wales corresponds with an overall increase in the number of people donating organs across the whole of the UK, including Wales.

According to NHS Blood and Transplant figures, over the past year there was a 6.4 per cent increase in deceased donors compared to the previous year.

From April 2015 to March 2016 there were 1,364 donations made compared to 1,282 over the same period last year.

Ross Saunders, a businessman from Ulverson, knows just how important donation can be.

Ross received a kidney from the victim of a car accident when he was 20 years old.

He said: “It’s clear to me that Wales has got it absolutely right with its presumed consent law, and the rest of the country should follow its example.

“I don't really understand why people want to keep their organs after their life has expired; however if they feel strongly enough about it there is a simple opt-out process available.”

“The more time the surgeons have to operate, the more successful the transplant will be.”

People like Ross were able to get the help they needed because of the 176,918 Cumbrians on the NHS Organ Donor Register.

The demand for more organs was the basis behind the adoption of the scheme in Wales, as NHS figures show that in the last 10 years, 6,000 people have died waiting for a new organ.

Sarah Ralley, specialist nurse for organ donation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Save your family from having to guess what you wanted at a difficult time. Please tell your relatives you want to be an organ donor and record your decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register today.”

Large organs such as the kidneys, liver or heart can save the life of a recipient, while other donation such as corneas, bone or cartilage, can restore sight and movement.

Information on becoming a donor can be found at organdonation.nhs.uk

Do you think the Welsh 'opt-out' organ donation system is better?
A report from Wales has shown that an opt-out system for organ donation is increasing the number of donations. Do you think this is a better system than our current one?
Yes
No
Maybe