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Written question asked by Alex Norris (Labour) on Tuesday, 28 April 2020, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 4 May 2020. It was answered by Helen Whately (Conservative) on Friday, 15 May 2020 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Kidneys: Transplant Surgery

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the availability of kidney transplants from (a) living and (b) deceased donors.

Answer

While waiting lists continue to be monitored, an assessment on the effect on the kidney transplant waiting list cannot be made until transplant units reopen. Factors will include patients wishing to be relisted at this time; patients who have experienced acute kidney injury from COVID-19 and may become dialysis-dependent; and patients who have been unable to attend an assessment clinic at this time due to the risk to their health.

NHS England, NHS Improvement and NHS Blood and Transplant have been working closely together to ensure that organ donation and transplant activity could safely continue during the COVID-19 pandemic for very urgent life-saving transplants. Deceased organ donors are being referred and a few kidney transplants are taking place most days. A joint decision by NHS England and NHS Improvement and NHS Blood and Transplant was taken to cancel the living donor matching runs following an assessment of risk. Patients waiting for a kidney transplant are able to receive dialysis as a short-term alternative treatment.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
41147
Session
2019-21
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Kidneys Transplant surgery Coronavirus
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk