‘Opt-out’ organ donation reform welcomed by CWU

Health & Safety

New Government rules on organ donation will “help save lives” said our national health and safety officer Dave Joyce, as he welcomed this week’s announcement.

A new system of consent for organ and tissue donation will mean that every responsible adult with at least 12 months residency here is considered an organ donor unless they have explicitly recorded a wish not to be.

Switching from an ‘opt-in’ to an ‘opt-out’ system is expected to significantly increase the number of organs available for transplant, explained Government Minister Jackie Doyle-Price, who estimated that it could save some 700 lives per year.

Welcoming the news, Dave Joyce pointed out that CWU members have carried conference motions on this and backed similar moves at the TUC, saying: “These efforts and those of others have helped create a consensus across society for change – change that is now on the way.”

As well as welcoming this long-overdue reform, the CWU has also long supported the need for more blood donors as well, and Dave took the opportunity to highlight this closely-related issue.

“In 2016, the CWU signed up to a campaign partnership with NHSBT (NHS Blood & Transplant) and the union has also worked with employers to run joint health awareness campaigns of which organ and blood donation is included through their campaigns.”

The CWU health and safety department has additionally concentrated campaigning efforts to spread the message of donation across the union, seeking to promote blood and organ donation among members.