Overview

• The NHS transplant waiting list hit a record high of nearly 12,000 patients by March 2025, including about 3,900 temporarily suspended due to ill health or unavailability for surgery.
• Deceased organ donors fell by 7% to 1,403 in 2024/25, contributing to a 2% drop in the total number of transplants to 4,583.
• Family consent rates under the opt-out framework declined from 69% in 2020/21 to 59% in 2024/25, with 173 families overruling expressed donor wishes and 520 vetoing presumed consent.
• Last year, 463 patients died while waiting for transplants and a further 911 were removed from the list after becoming too unwell to undergo surgery.
• NHS Blood and Transplant and charities such as Kidney Care UK are urging a UK-wide public awareness campaign to increase registrations and ensure families support donation decisions.