Sherwood Forest Hospitals, which runs Mansfield Community Hospital and King’s Mill Hospital, Sutton, will be launching its 2019 organ donation campaign during Organ Donation Week (2-8 September) with the theme Pass It On, which encourages friends and families to talk to each other about organ donation and pass on the fact that the law on organ donation is changing in 2020.

The new organ donation law will start from spring 2020. From this time all adults in England will be added to the organ donation register unless they opt out or are in one of the excluded groups.

During Organ Donation Week the trust will hold an information stand at King’s Mill Hospital on Wednesday, 4th September in the King’s Treatment Centre and will have information on organ donation, the new law, opt out information and leaflets, as well as a number of specialists and organ donation recipients available to talk to people about their experience and speak about how donating can change and save many lives.

Last year King’s Mill signed more than 100 people to the organ donation register during the week. This year it’s hoped that the trust can raise more awareness of the organ donation register and the new 2020 law to encourage friends and families to talk about their decisions and choices. During 2018/19 two patients at the trust received life-saving or life-changing transplants from two organ donors.

Sherwood Forest Hospitals Director of Corporate Affairs and Chair of the Organ Donation committee, Shirley Higginbotham, said: “Thanks to the commitment and support of the Organ Donation Committee, the trust and the organ donation campaign, we saw more than 100 people sign up to the register last year. This year we hope to sign up even more people to the register and also share the ‘pass it on’ message about the new law which starts in 2020.”

Organ donation committee member Debra Barlow, who has had a double lung transplant, said: “It’s very important that people find out about the new organ donation law, which is changing in 2020. I encourage people to visit the stand and find out more about organ donation, to learn about the new law and pass the message on to their friends and family. Signing up to the organ donation register can make such a huge difference to numerous people’s lives. I wouldn’t be here without it.”

Fellow organ donation committee member Bronwyn Jones, who has had a heart transplant, added: “This year the campaign focuses on the new law changing in spring 2020. We’ll be raising awareness on organ donation throughout the week, sharing our own organ donation stories and helping people realise what impact organ donation can have on another person’s life.”

Joining the NHS Blood and Transplant Service’s Organ Donation Register can be done at www.organdonation.nhs.uk or when applying to the DVLA for a driving licence.

Throughout the week the pink tower at King’s Mill will be shining bright (with the blue and green towers turned off) to mark the trust’s support for Organ Donation Week.