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Bristol is facing a growing crisis as transplant waiting lists hit record highs. In our region, over one hundred kidney transplants are carried out each year, but demand is rising faster than ever. Across the UK, more than eight thousand people are now waiting for a life-saving transplant--the highest number in decades. With longer waits and fewer donors, the pressure on Bristol's transplant services is mounting, and lives are hanging in the balance. We find out more.

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00:00Firstly, just tell me a little bit about organ donation in the South West.
00:07So organ donation in the South West, our organ donation numbers remain high for our region.
00:15So last year we facilitated 139 preceding organ donors.
00:21It was down slightly from the year before, but it again, the number in the South West
00:27is high, but that's not the view of how things are nationally.
00:34Nationally, our numbers are down and they continue to be down ever since COVID.
00:40Before COVID, our numbers were much, much healthier and our consent rates were much higher.
00:45So our consent rates pre-COVID were 69%, whereas since COVID last year was suddenly sitting
00:53around 59%.
00:55So that's over 40% of families who we approach and discuss organ donation with are not supportive
01:02of organ donation.
01:03And that is having an impact nationally on the number of preceding organ donors.
01:09Tell me a little bit about this impact then.
01:13So because we have less preceding donors, we are therefore unable to facilitate as many
01:20organ transplants that are needed and that therefore is resulting in an increased organ transplant
01:27waiting list.
01:29So it's now over 8,000, which is the first time it's been over that, which means that nationally
01:35there's 8,000 people who are in need of an organ transplant.
01:40And this is just not life enhancing operation.
01:43This is a life saving operation that they are in need of.
01:47And unfortunately, some of them are running out of time.
01:49They are getting too sick for transplants and therefore removed from the transplant waiting
01:55list because they're running out of time due to this organ donation, organ shortage.
02:00So it's a pretty, pretty difficult situation that we are finding ourselves in.
02:07And then the impact on those who don't get organs, what is that?
02:12Well, the impact for those who don't get organs unfortunately lead to death.
02:20They run out of time.
02:21They're on the transplant waiting list for a reason.
02:23They're on the transplant waiting list because they have organ failure.
02:29And sometimes that becomes end stage organ failure and they become too unwell for transplant
02:34or they just run out of time and unfortunately pass away.
02:38And three people die every day waiting for a transplant.
02:41So the numbers are quite startling, but it all begins with organ donation and those conversations
02:49we have with families.
02:5152% of the population are on the organ donor register in the Southwest.
02:56So we know what they would have wanted.

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