DORSET families are being urged to talk about organ donation as 28 die waiting for transplants.

Figures revealed by NHS Blood and Transplant show that in the last five years, 28 people in Dorset died waiting for a transplant.

Currently there are 97 Dorset residents waiting for organ transplants.

NHS Blood and Transplant said that in the last year the number of people donating organs fell for the first time in 11 years. The group said that on average across the UK three people die every day waiting for transplant organs.

They added that currently, four out of ten families don’t give permission to donate when approached. The latest figures show that last year in Dorset, 47 people’s lives were saved or improved thanks to deceased donation.

In Dorset, nine people also benefitted from a living donor transplant where donors gave a kidney or part of a liver.

NHS Blood and Transplant says that more lives would be saved if more families agreed to donate their loved one’s organs after death.

That is why they are asking people in Dorset to join the Organ Donor Register and then tell their family and friends about their decision – as families are much more likely to agree to donation if they know it is what their loved one wanted.

Sally Johnson, NHS Blood and Transplant’s Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation, said: “We are truly grateful to the deceased donors who enabled 47 people in Dorset to receive an organ transplant last year. Their donations have saved and improved lives. Sadly, 28 people from Dorset have died while waiting on the transplant waiting list in the past five years.

“We cannot hope to save more lives unless there is a revolution in attitudes towards organ donation. We need everyone talk about organ donation with their families and agree to donate if ever they are asked.”

She added: “We understand that families are expected to consider donation in their darkest hour. So we would remind everyone - tell those closest to you now if you want to donate your organs and record that decision by joining the 294,281 people from Dorset who are already on the NHS Organ Donor Register. Should the time come, your family will know you want to donate your organs to help to save others.”

To join the NHS Organ Donor Register visit organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300 123 2323.