ABSTRACT
In the financial year 2004-5, 2242 organ transplants were performed in the UK (UK Transplant, 2005), enabling people with end-stage disease to survive with significantly improved quality of life. Although viability of donated organs cannot be guaranteed, advanced techniques enable most (up to 90 per cent of kidneys) organs to survive, overall recipient-one-year survival of 85-90 per cent (Bonner & Rudge, 2002). However, 2004-5 ended with 6142 people on the UK register awaiting organ transplantation – more than double the number that received organs during the financial year. There is a continuing shortfall of available organs to meet the needs of those on waiting lists.
