'Lives have been transformed' thanks to changes to organ donation in Wales, the health minister has said today (Tuesday, December 1).

Five years ago Wales introduced a soft opt-out system of organ donation, where presumed consent was given for organ donation unless the person had opted out.

The system has been successful, with England now introducing a similar system, while Scotland will next year and Northern Ireland will be consulting on a similar change.

Since the scheme was introduced in Wales the number of people opting into the Organ Donor Register has risen 4per cent from 1,138,527 in 2016/17 to 1,300,494 in the first two quarters of 2020/21.

Consent rates for donation recently reached an all-time high in Wales of 77per cent in 2018/19, after they were as low as 58per cent in 2015/16.

There were more than 200 organ transplants completed on Welsh patients in each of the last two years; an 11per cent rise from 180 in 2017/18.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: “Over the last five years we have seen people’s lives being transformed after receiving an organ. Not only this, but the families of donors have also taken solace in the fact their loved ones have given the gift of life to others.

“None of this would have been possible without the generosity of donors and their families, who give their support, as well as the dedication of all the clinical staff involved.

“We should be incredibly proud of leading the way with an organ donation opt-out scheme in Wales and showing the rest of the UK that such a scheme could work.

“Our achievements have not only saved lives and improved people’s quality of life, but also acted as an example about what a compassionate country can do to care for its citizens.

“There will always be room for improvement and people still need to have the confidence to discuss the matter of organ donation with their families, but the progress we have made in the last five years will be felt for generations to come.”