Overview

• NHS Blood and Transplant says more than 12,000 people over the past decade died or were removed from waiting lists before receiving organs.
• The total includes 4,900 who died while actively waiting and 7,700 removed after becoming too unwell to undergo transplant.
• Last year the UK recorded 100 fewer deceased donors, contributing to a 2% decline in transplants.
• Families continued to block donation under the opt‑out system, with 173 overruling registered wishes and 520 declining where consent was presumed.
• Earlier this year the active waiting list reached a record of about 8,000 people, as regional data cited 600+ losses in North East and Yorkshire, more than 740 in the North West, and 109 in Merseyside.