NHS hopes to get one million people to sign up to become an organ donor as transplant games come to Sheffield
“Family support for organ donation has been in steady decline over the last few years, and we need to reverse that trend”
The NHS are hoping to get a million adults to sign up as organ donors ahead of Sheffield’s transplant games which is set to show how life-changing donations can be.
Figures released today (August 5) show that people who have registered to donate their organs after death across the UK have dropped by a fifth in the past five years, from 69 per cent in 2020/21 to just 57 per cent in 2025/26.
It has prompted the NHS to launch their new ‘One in a Million’ campaign, as they look to to increase the number of registered organ donors from 29 million to 30 million by the end of the year.
The figures do show a slight increase in donations across the North East and Yorkshire, with 302 organ donors in 2025/26 compared to 254 the year before, however there is still a widening gap as 1,132 patients are waiting for a transplant across the region.
Anthony Clarkson, director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant said: “Family support for organ donation has been in steady decline over the last few years, and we need to reverse that trend.
“We understand that when families are approached about organ donation, they may be expected to make difficult decisions at an already tragic time. That’s why we are asking people in the North East and Yorkshire to be ‘One in a Million’ and drive up the number of people on the NHS Organ Donor Register to 30 million by the start of 2027. It gives your family that certainty that you want donation to go ahead and it’s expected that they honour that decision.
“For many families though, even when their loved one has expressed a wish to donate, they still override that decision for whatever reason, meaning hundreds of potential organ transplant opportunities being lost each year.
“I would urge people who haven’t already done so to express your decision to donate via the Organ Donor Register and for families to remember that decision and honour it should the time come. It’s the final act you can do for them to honour their memory and leave a lasting legacy to be proud of.”
The campaign comes as Sheffield braces to host the annual transplant games, which will see more than 1,000 organ and stem cell transplant recipients compete in 26 different sports across the city.
And while it is set to be a fun event for the city, there’s much more to the games than sporting achievement, as it helps to show the incredible affect organ donations have.
Lord Mayor Andrew Sangar added: “Most importantly, I hope these games inspire more people to think about organ donation.
“It makes a real difference to individuals, families and communities every day.”