“Have a heart to heart about organ donation and help make a difference” – First Minister

Children waiting for life-saving organ transplants have received a special Christmas visit from the First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones today (Weds 19th Dec).

The First Minister paid a visit to the Kidney Wales Renal Centre at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. UHW is the lead centre for paediatric renal care within South Wales and works closely with many other NHS units to ensure children and young adults in Wales who need a transplant receive the highest level of specialist care.

Mr Jones used the visit to urge the people of Wales to share their wishes about organ donation with their families, as part of the ‘heart to heart’ campaign. On average, one person a week from Wales dies while on the organ donation waiting list. The current shortage of donors continues to cause otherwise preventable death and suffering.

The Welsh Government is committed to saving and improving the lives of more people on the organ transplant waiting list in Wales, and intends to do so through the introduction of a soft opt-out system for organ donation.

The Human Transplantation (Wales) Bill was laid before the National Assembly for Wales on 4th December.

Carwyn Jones said:

“It was a privilege to see for myself the excellent care being provided by the dedicated staff at the Centre. They work tirelessly not only to ensure that children receive the best medical care, but that they and their families are emotionally supported during what is often a very difficult and emotional time.

“Thanks to the generosity of the people of Wales and the hard work of NHS staff we have already seen an increase of 49 per cent in organ donation rates over the last four years, which I am very proud of. However, more can still be done to save and dramatically improve the lives of people in need of an organ transplant. That is why the Welsh Government is committed to introducing a soft opt-out system to increase the number of organ donors.

“Families will still, of course, be critical in informing the final decision on what happens to their relative’s organs, and that’s why I urge people to have a heart to heart with their family and friends about their organ donation wishes.”

During the visit, the First Minister was shown Phase 2 of development at the Children’s Hospital, a construction project backed by £63.8 million of funding from the Welsh Government.

Phase 2 will provide various new integral facilities specifically tailored for children, including dedicated paediatric theatres, inpatient and parents’ accommodation, a radiology department and a paediatric outpatients department.