Falling consent rates for organ donation across the UK are putting more lives at risk, faith and community leaders have warned, as a new national report calls for urgent action.
The Jain and Hindu Organ Donation Alliance (JHOD) has strongly backed the findings, stressing the vital role of culturally and faith‑sensitive conversations in helping more families say yes to donation. JHOD has recently launched a dedicated podcast for Jain and Hindu communities, exploring religious perspectives on organ donation, addressing common concerns, and encouraging people to discuss and document their wishes with loved ones. Listen to the podcast on YouTube.
Prafula Shah, Chair of the Jain and Hindu Organ Donation Alliance, said:
“The Jain and Hindu Organ Donation Alliance welcomes the Organ Donation Joint Working Group report. There is a national need, with 8,200 people now waiting for a transplant. We encourage everyone to continue signing the Organ Donor Register and, crucially, to talk openly with their families about their wishes.
“We remain committed to raising awareness and supporting the teaching of organ donation messages in schools and across our communities. Our communities need donors, and by taking a braver approach – becoming donors and sharing decisions – we can save lives and make a lasting difference.”
The Organ Donation Joint Working Group (ODJWG) report, A Bolder, Braver Approach for Organ Donation in the UK, published on 21 January 2026, warns that with family consent rates declining to 59% – down from 68% before the COVID‑19 pandemic – the record‑high transplant waiting list of more than 8,000 patients will not fall unless decisive steps are taken.¹ In the past decade alone, nearly 5,000 people have died waiting for a life‑saving transplant.
The ODJWG – a collaboration between NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and the Department of Health and Social Care, with input from health administrations across the UK – drew on international advice and the experiences of more than 600 donor family members and clinicians.¹ The report sets three key ambitions:
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- To turn strong public support into action by increasing registrations and consent in line with the high levels of support for organ donation in principle.
- To build a stronger clinical donation culture, including embedding Specialist Nurses for Organ Donation within hospital multidisciplinary teams so that families receive the best possible support and donors’ best interests remain paramount.
- To improve performance monitoring and provide robust ethical advice on current and emerging organ donation issues.
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The report notes the positive impact of deemed consent (“opt‑out”) legislation now in place across the UK and its Crown Dependencies, but concludes that legal change alone is not enough. It also acknowledges that the COVID‑19 pandemic has had a lasting effect on public attitudes to the NHS, end‑of‑life care and consent outcomes. NHSBT leaders describe the report as a “turning point” for organ donation and call for government, health services, faith communities and the wider public to work together so that more families are supported to say yes, transforming strong public goodwill into the gift of life.¹