Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made direct international comparisons to other western European countries on the potential merits of investment to improve public awareness of organ donation.

NHS Blood and Transplant is the organisation responsible for raising public awareness of organ donation in England. In 2020, NHS Blood and Transplant reviewed international evidence on organ donation and donors sharing their decision with their families. While evidence was limited, similar themes emerged, particularly concerning ethnic minority communities. Where there is awareness of organ donation, in general the public understand the need to have conversations and share their decision with their families. Conversely, where awareness is low, there is a lack of understanding for the need to share their decision.

These themes have been addressed in NHS Blood and Transplant’s ‘Leave Them Certain' campaign, launched in February 2021 and supported by an investment f £3,300,000.