This week is Organ Donation Week and we’ve been talking to our crews about what it means to them to find out that a patient was an organ donor.
Knowing that something positive can come out of it can help us to reconcile the tragedy
Thanks to a new follow-up process with the John Radcliffe Hospital, our paramedics and doctors now receive a letter informing them when a patient’s organs have gone on to save someone in need of a transplant.
Critical Care Paramedic Rich explains:
“We always give every patient 100 per cent. But sadly there are times when, despite our best efforts, we can’t prevent a loss. The follow-up process at Thames Valley Air Ambulance really helps us as clinical crew. We get feedback on how patients are doing and, if the patient dies, to know that their organs will go to other people and benefit another family really helps us.
“A 20 year old who may need a lung transplant. A 60 year old who may need a heart transplant. These are people who could benefit from donation. Knowing that something positive can come out of it can help us to reconcile the tragedy.”
This year marks 30 years of the NHS Organ Donor Register. It’s incredible to think that more than 100,000 lives have been saved by the selfless actions of donors and their families during this time. This Organ Donation Week, we’d encourage families to talk about organ donation. When the unthinkable happens, it can be a way of finding hope amid loss.
