KIDNEY WALES EVIDENCE TO THE LORDS EU SELECT COMMITTEE

News release

Kidney Wales Foundation tells the House of Lords yesterday that this Task force report is honest but it requires more discussion in Wales as Wales differs in views from the UK on progress on presumed consent. From evidence to the Committee it is evident that UKT is not in favour of presumed consent but KW tells Committee that UKT should not as a Government Agency hold a view and should consult the public.

Kidney Wales agrees to assist the Health Minister in Wales Edwina Hart AM MBE to consult withe public on presumed consent and promote organ donation in 2008.

FOUNDATION AND PLUS ASKED TO GIVE ORAL EVIDENCE TO HOUSE OF LORDS

EVIDENCE TO THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE EUROPEAN UNION SUB COMMITTEE (SOCIAL POLICY AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS: Inquiry into the EU Commission’s Communication on organ donation and transplantation: policy actions at EU level

Following the written evidence provided by Kidney Wales Foundation , we have been asked to attend the House of Lords in January 2008 to provide oral evidence. We have asked the Committee to:

Firstly, look at a UK and European wide call for a change in legislation on presumed consent.

Secondly, how organisations like UKT work effectively with charitable organisations in Wales and other regions on promotion and awareness.

Thirdly, to consider that all UK and European regions have a fair amount of allocated funds to spend on donor awareness.

Fourthly, a European Donor Card be activated and enabled as soon as possible while waiting for a Directive on presumed consent.

We concur with the view in the communication from the Commission of the European Communities: Organ Donation and Transplantation that organ transplantation offers excellent results for patients. For those with kidney disease renal transplantation provides the most successful and cost effective treatment for established renal failure. However, in Wales a relatively low number of people are receiving transplants as a consequence of three inter-related factors:

• Lack of availability of organs
• Lack of capacity to undertake transplantation
• Sub-optimal organisational arrangements.