Since its foundation in 1994, The NHS Organ Donor Register has seen more than 100,000 transplants take place. While that number has been life changing for those involved, the reality is that the waiting list for a transplant is the highest it has been in a decade, with just over 8,000 people in the UK actively waiting for that lifesaving opportunity.
That’s why we are writing this article to support Organ Donation Week, taking place from September 22nd to September 28th. It is an annual event organised by the NHS and other healthcare organisations to raise awareness and discussion about organ donation and encourage people to register their decision to donate on the NHS Organ Donor Register.
We look at organ donation and the law, share some numbers on organ donation in the UK and, with a workplace health focus, explore what employers can do to support employees considering or going through the process.
What is the NHS Organ Donor Register?
You, or someone you know, may well be one of over 28 million people in the UK currently registered on the NHS Organ Donor Register. This represents roughly 42% of the UK population. It’s a confidential record of people’s organ donation decisions, recording the choice of whether to become an organ donor or not when you die. More information can be found on the NHS Organ Donation site.
UK organ donation in numbers
The NHS publishes regular statistics so we can see that, as of July 2025, as well as the 8,000 people in the UK waiting for a transplant,1118 people have received a transplant since April 2025. In 2024/25 there were 1,404 deceased donors and 969 living donors. The most transplanted organ is the kidney, there were 2207 in 2024/25, followed by the liver/lobe (867) and heart transplants (200).
Organ donation and the ‘opt-out’ system
What may come as a surprise is that you don’t need to be on the organ donor register to become a donor. What’s more, how organ donation works varies across different countries in the United Kingdom.
While there are legal differences across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the underlying principle is that unless you have recorded a decision not to donate (opted out) or are in an excluded group (those with certain diseases) – it will be considered that you agree to be an organ donor when you die. The law is also known as “Max and Keira’s Law,” honouring a nine-year-old heart transplant recipient and the girl who donated her heart.
However, organ donation will only go ahead with the support of your family, and clinicians will never proceed with organ donation if your family or loved ones object. The consent process is explained in more depth here.
So why register?
If we are all effectively assumed donors, why then register with the NHS Organ Donor Register? Registering your decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register is still crucial for ensuring your wishes are known. And families are far more likely to support donation when they know it was what their relative wanted. Indeed, NHS research has found that 90% of families agree to donation going ahead if they know their loved one had recorded a decision to donate.
While there are some excluded groups as mentioned above, having an illness or medical condition doesn’t stop you from registering your organ donation decision, and specialist healthcare professionals decide in each individual case whether organs and tissue are suitable.
How to become a living organ donor
As the numbers show, around 1,000 people donate organs while they are still alive. A healthy person can lead a normal life with only one functioning kidney and most donated organs are kidneys or parts of a liver. In fact, around a third of all kidney transplants in the UK are from living donors.
To become a living organ donor in the UK, you need to be over 18 (or 16 in Scotland) and you can either donate to a specific person or to a stranger through a non-directed altruistic donation. The objective of Organ Donation Week is to encourage conversations about organ donation and there’s a lot of helpful information in the Living Donation FAQ page as well as Living Donation materials.
Employer support for employees going through organ donation
Given the numbers involved in organ donation, it is likely that at some point you may have an employee in need of a donated organ, or someone who has offered to be a living donor. Both will find the process more manageable with support and understanding from their employer. So, how can you help?
Living donor reimbursement: Advise them that the NHS operates a scheme to reimburse living organ donors for certain expenses incurred due to the donation process, ensuring that donation is a cost-neutral experience. This reimbursement covers expenses like lost earnings and travel costs.
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP): In the UK, individuals donating an organ as part of living donation may be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if they are too ill to work due to the donation. While not all employers automatically provide full pay for this, donors can often claim SSP from their employer or potentially be reimbursed for lost earnings through the NHS scheme. You can help employees by providing all the information needed to claim.
Help manage their anxiety: Naturally, employees may be anxious about time away from work, managing their work, the impact on their colleagues and loss of earnings. In addition to advising them of their SSP and financial support, your employees will welcome the understanding of their line manager and team in helping them to fulfil what many would see as a potentially life-saving and selfless act.
Offer flexibility: As with any surgical procedure, consider offering flexible work arrangements, such as remote work options or adjusted work schedules, to accommodate the recovery period. This will apply to those donating as well as receiving an organ.
In conclusion
Successful organ donation can mean the difference between and active and healthy life or dependency on the NHS and in worst cases, death. With those waiting for a donated organ at record levels, the more aware we can be of what the process means for employees, the more support employers will be able to give. While there are established processes to cover loss of earnings and sick pay, employers can make the greatest difference by helping to manage the anxiety and making the process as worry free as possible.
Get our guide
We have produced a new Cordell Health poster on organ donation. This is available to subscribers to our wellbeing service. If you are not signed up to this service and would like to find out more, please contact us on wellbeing@cordellhealth.co.uk
Photo by Minku Kang on Unsplash
