Kidneys: Transplant Surgery

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for organ donation and transplantation in the United Kingdom. They also manage the NHS Organ Donor Register and the National Transplant Register.

In 2023, the Organ Utilisation Group published 12 recommendations on how to maximise the potential for organ transplantation to reduce waiting times and improve access. Following this, the Department established the Implementation Steering Group for Organ Utilisation (ISOU) to oversee and coordinate the implementation of these recommendations, concluding its work in December 2025. Further information on the ISOU is available at the following link:

https://www.odt.nhs.uk/odt-structures-and-standards/clinical-leadership/implementation-steering-group-for-organ-utilisation/

The final ISOU closure report will be published shortly, and remaining actions will be handed over to NHSBT, NHS England, and others. Further information on the outputs of the ISOU is available at the following link:

https://www.odt.nhs.uk/odt-structures-and-standards/clinical-leadership/implementation-steering-group-for-organ-utilisation/

NHSBT ensures fair and equitable access to transplants by monitoring performance of the organ allocation schemes via the NHSBT organ advisory groups and the National Transplant Clinical Panel.

NHSBT supports Living Donation Week, World Kidney Day, and Organ Donation Week every year, alongside other targeted campaigns, in partnership with charities and community groups, to promote living donation and the UK Living Kidney Sharing Scheme, and the importance of declaring wishes on the Organ Donor Register. Further information on the UK Living Kidney Sharing Scheme is available at the following link:

https://www.odt.nhs.uk/living-donation/uk-living-kidney-sharing-scheme/