NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is the organisation responsible for organ donation services in the United Kingdom.

NHSBT, working with the Department and NHS England, delivers a multi‑channel programme of activity to increase organ donation, improve family consent, and maximise the impact of both deceased and living donation. This includes:

• year-round communications and engagement, combining national campaigns, digital marketing, and partnership working. High-profile moments, such as Organ Donation Week, Living Donation Week, and World Kidney Day, are supported by media activity across a variety of channels, directing audiences to trusted information and to register their wishes on the NHS Organ Donor Register;

• partnerships, including with National Health Service organisations, charities, community, and advocacy groups, which aim to reach people at key moments through trusted channels. For example, a functionality has been introduced recently on the front page of the NHS App, making it easier for people to record, review, and share their organ donation decision as part of routine interactions with NHS services;

• targeted community engagement, supported by NHSBT’s Community Grants Programme, helps improve understanding of organ donation and family consent in communities with greater transplant need or lower consent rates; and

• work to maximise the use of donated kidneys, including new assessment and recovery centres, which are currently being piloted and will use machine perfusion technology to preserve and assess kidneys for longer, alongside trust utilisation strategies to help transplant centres and hospitals identify and address local barriers to using suitable organs.

Non-Emergency Patient Transport Schemes (NEPTS) often provide funded transport where a medical condition means that a patient would struggle to safely attend their treatment independently.  NEPTS can be provided by ambulance trusts or other providers depending on local arrangements.

In May 2022, NHS England set out eligibility criteria, which includes disability criteria, available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/B1244-nepts-eligibility-criteria.pdf

NHS England has worked closely with a range of kidney patient groups, renal professionals, integrated care boards (ICBs), and other stakeholders to develop a dialysis transport support framework which has been made directly available to ICBs. The 2022 updates to the eligibility criteria included where patients are travelling to or returning from in-centre haemodialysis, in which case specialist transport, non-specialist transport, or upfront/reimbursement costs for private travel will be made available.

NEPTS in England is an operational matter for the National Health Service, and how the NEPTS guidance is implemented at a local level is determined by ICBs and their partners, including local ambulance trusts. There are no current plans to update the eligibility criteria further.

Non-Emergency Patient Transport Schemes (NEPTS) often provide funded transport where a medical condition means that a patient would struggle to safely attend their treatment independently.  NEPTS can be provided by ambulance trusts or other providers depending on local arrangements.

In May 2022, NHS England set out eligibility criteria, which includes disability criteria, available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/B1244-nepts-eligibility-criteria.pdf

NHS England has worked closely with a range of kidney patient groups, renal professionals, integrated care boards (ICBs), and other stakeholders to develop a dialysis transport support framework which has been made directly available to ICBs. The 2022 updates to the eligibility criteria included where patients are travelling to or returning from in-centre haemodialysis, in which case specialist transport, non-specialist transport, or upfront/reimbursement costs for private travel will be made available.

NEPTS in England is an operational matter for the National Health Service, and how the NEPTS guidance is implemented at a local level is determined by ICBs and their partners, including local ambulance trusts. There are no current plans to update the eligibility criteria further.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is the organisation responsible for organ donation services in the United Kingdom. Figures on the number of patients active on the kidney transplant waiting list and median waiting times are available at the following link:

https://nhsbtdbe.blob.core.windows.net/umbraco-assets-corp/36811/section-5-kidney-activity.pdf

The Department, along with NHSBT, continues to take action to improve access to kidney transplantation. This includes high profile, year-round campaigns including Living Donation Week, Organ Donation Week, and World Kidney Day, and partnerships with charities and community groups to promote living donation, the UK Living Kidney Sharing Scheme (UKLKSS) and the importance of declaring wishes on the Organ Donation Register (ODR). In addition, the Living Donor Futures programme, launching this early this year, will look at how NHSBT can support the growth of living donor programmes locally and within the UKLKSS. Further information on the UKLKSS is available at the following link:
https://www.odt.nhs.uk/living-donation/uk-living-kidney-sharing-scheme/;

The Department-led Implementation Steering Group for Organ Utilisation is working to maximise the potential for organ transplantation, aiming to reduce waiting times and improve access. This includes the initiation of a national programme of Assessment and Recovery Centres (ARCs) by NHSBT, which will utilise innovation to enhance the assessment, evaluation, and utilisation of donor organs. Pilot ARCs are set to begin in early 2026. Further information on the Implementation Steering Group for Organ Utilisation is available at the following link:
https://www.odt.nhs.uk/odt-structures-and-standards/clinical-leadership/implementation-steering-group-for-organ-utilisation/

Additionally, the Organ Donation Joint Working Group recently published recommendations to improve organ donation consent rates, increase societal action for organ donation, and increase the pool of potential donors in their report this January. The recommendations are available at the following link:

https://nhsbtdbe.blob.core.windows.net/umbraco-assets-corp/38066/odjwg-report.pdf

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/

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for organ donation in the United Kingdom. It also manages the NHS Organ Donor Register and national transplant waiting list.

As of 17 December 2025, there were 7,119 patients registered as active on the kidney transplant list. Of the 7,119 registered patients, 6,734 were registered as requiring kidney only, as the other 385 patients were registered as requiring kidney and another organ.

NHSBT publishes weekly updates on the transplant waiting list at the following link:

https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/about-organ-donation/statistics-about-organ-donation/

NHS Blood and Transplant is the organisation responsible for organ donation in the United Kingdom, and they manage the NHS Organ Donor Register and National Transplant Register.

Between 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2025, 3,381 individual patients received a kidney transplant from 3,385 donors. 2,373 were from deceased donors and 1,012 were from living donors. Of the 3,381 patients that received a kidney transplant, four received two transplants within this period.

This is a United Kingdom four nation service and I am proud of its achievements.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for transplant services across the United Kingdom. Transplants represent a cost-efficient treatment and in the case of kidneys is a cost saving to the National Health Service.

The following table shows the estimated national average unit cost of a kidney transplant for 2023/24 for people aged 19 years old and over:

Source: NHSBT

The cost to the NHS of medication for a kidney transplant recipient for the first year after transplant can range on average between £9,000 and £13,000. Following this, costs can range on average between £5,000 and £8,000 per patient per year. These estimated costs are based on British National Formulary list price. For some drugs, the NHS can access confidential prices that cannot be shared outside of the NHS. The average cost does not take into consideration additional treatments in the event of complications such as infections and post-transplant rejections.

There are no plans to assess the impact of prescription charges on people who have undergone a kidney transplant.

There are extensive arrangements in place in England to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone. Approximately 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England, and there is a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place for which those with long term or chronic conditions may be eligible. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have a qualifying medical condition, or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.

People on low incomes can apply for help with their health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme. Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) are also available. PPCs allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost, with three-month and 12-month certificates available. The 12-month PPC can be paid for in instalments.

We are working with NHS Blood and Transplant to help reduce waiting times for children in need of kidney transplants. This includes implementing initiatives to improve the use of living donor kidney transplantation in paediatric centres, engaging with transplant centres to review patients who are too unwell to receive a transplant, and reducing long waiters, which are patients who wait more than 104 days for a transplant.

Nation-wide campaigns have been developed to increase paediatric registrations on the organ donor register, for example Ralph’s campaign, and the school’s education programme has been refreshed for younger children. A paediatric perfusion programme is also being developed to increase the use of kidneys from donors after circulatory death for paediatric patients.

Kidney transplant patients are eligible for community-based treatments via COVID Medicines Deliveries Units, which includes antiviral and neutralising monoclonal antibody treatments.

While Evusheld had been granted conditional marketing approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on 17 March 2022, it highlighted uncertainty on the appropriate dose needed for protection against the Omicron variant. The UK Health Security Agency is undertaking further testing which will inform any decisions on next steps, including procurement.

As part of the COVID-19 Immunity National Core Study, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is providing initial funding of £1.8 million for 12 months towards the OCTAVE study. The OCTAVE study will examine the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in clinically at-risk groups, including patients with certain immunosuppressed conditions, including renal transplant patients.

Public Health England has been monitoring the effectiveness of vaccinations in clinical risk groups including those with immunosuppression.

From the evaluation of the vaccine programme, the data shows that completion of the two dose schedule correlates well with protection from both disease and severe outcomes.

No assessment has yet been made.

The Government’s priority is to ensure that patients continue to have access to the medicines they need, including fluids for peritoneal dialysis and other medicines critical to kidney transplant patients. The Department continues to work closely with the pharmaceutical industry, the devolved administrations, the National Health Service and others in the supply chain to deliver the shared goal of continuity of safe patient care by mitigating any potential disruption to the supply of medicines into the United Kingdom at the end of the transition period.

As set out in a letter the Department sent to the pharmaceutical industry on 17 November 2020, the Department is implementing a multi-layered approach, that involves asking suppliers of medicines and medical products to the UK from or via the European Union to get themselves ‘trader ready’, reroute their supply chains away from any potential disruption and stockpile to a target level of six weeks on UK soil where this is possible. The letter is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-medicines-and-medical-products-suppliers-17-november-2020

During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of kidney transplant centres closed, although four centres remained open throughout. Due to the different practices established across the United Kingdom and across organ groups with regards to waiting list management, it is not possible to give an accurate number for the number of patients who were suspended or did not receive an offer for a transplant.

Organ donation and deceased donor transplant activity, including kidney transplants, has been restored to pre COVID-19 levels. During the pandemic, life-saving kidney transplants still took place although kidney donor transplantation activity was 20% lower compared to the same period in 2019.

Patients requiring dialysis continued to receive that treatment. The ‘COVID-19 Rapid Guideline: dialysis service delivery’, published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, set out guidance for clinicians to maximise the safety of patients on dialysis during the pandemic.

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.

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.

Public safety throughout this period has been the Government’s top priority. Patients who have had a kidney transplant, along with other patients who have had solid organ transplants and remain on long-term immune suppression therapy, have been classified as clinically extremely vulnerable. All transplant recipients have received information about what steps they should take to make sure they remain shielded and how they will continue to receive healthcare and support.

Work is underway with the transplant community to support clinicians’ understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic in transplant recipients. Research is looking at links to specific anti-rejection medication, comorbidity and other factors that predict hospitalisation and subsequent patient outcomes. International collaboration is well established to share experience and learning about the impact of COVID-19 on transplanted patients.

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. A few kidney transplants are taking place on most days. Patients waiting for a kidney transplant are able to receive dialysis as a short-term alternative treatment.

At this time, no financial assessment has been made of the impact of the changes to transplant and dialysis numbers.