Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland
- Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland new headquarters officially opened
- ODTI annual report 2016 published
- 280 people received a donated organ of which 50 received a kidney from a live donor
- Donor Coordinators provide on-call 24/7, 365 service at National Organ Procurement Service
Minister for Health, Simon Harris today (Monday 8th May 2017) officially opened the new headquarters of the HSE Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland (ODTI) office, in the heart of Dublin City Centre at St George’s Church on Temple Street.
The ODTI now has dedicated premises from which to coordinate its lifesaving services. It was established to provide governance, integration and leadership for organ donation and transplantation in this country. There are three transplant centres in Ireland; the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, St. Vincent’s University Hospital (SVUH) and Beaumont Hospital.
The 2016 ODTI annual report outlines key activities and outcomes in organ donation and transplant in Ireland last year. Overall, 280 organ transplants were carried out during 2016. This marks the second highest yearly performance achieved, with an average rate of 23 transplants per month. The organ transplant figures for 2016 were:
- 172 kidney transplants at National Renal Transplant service, Beaumont Hospital;
- 58 liver transplants at National Liver transplant service, St Vincent’s University Hospital;
- 35 lung transplants and 15 heart transplants at the National Heart lung transplant service at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital.
Within the ODTI, the National Organ Procurement Service (NOPS) is managed by six Donor Coordinators. NOPS provide a 24 hour on-call service, 365 days a year, in planning and arranging transplants when donor organs become available, guiding and advising with the patient’s healthcare team, recipient centres, and supporting the family of the donor throughout the process. Post donation de-briefs are also conducted with the staff teams involved in the donation process.
There are also six Organ Donor Nurse Managers (ODNM’s) based in HSE Hospital Groups who work in partnership with the Clinical Leads in Organ Donation (CLODS) – anaesthetists/intensivists within the hospital groups, providing education, study days, and training courses.
Speaking about the publication of the ODTI 2016 Annual Report, Prof Jim Egan, Director of Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland said, “The ODTI now has a dedicated office, suitably located to give our coordinators swift access to the hospitals that carry out transplants. We thank the Minister for being here today, and I would like to thank the staff of the National Organ Procurement Service, the Intensive Care Units and Theatres, as well as the nurses and all staff in hospitals nationwide for their commitment. I especially want to thank the 77 families whose courage and generosity in donating organs saved the lives of 280 people last year.”
Speaking today, Minister Harris said “Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland play a vital role in promoting the importance of organ transplantation and donation, and I’m delighted to officially open their new offices this morning. I want to congratulate the ODTI on their leadership, and their dedication to saving lives by improving organ donation rates in Ireland.”
Minister Harris added “I’m proud to say that the 2016 organ transplant figures, which saw 280 transplants carried out, is the second highest annual performance achieved to date. The Living Kidney Donor Programme continues to go from strength to strength, and the excellent performance of the National Renal Transplant Service in Beaumont Hospital saw a remarkable increase in living donor transplants from 33 in 2015 to a record 50 last year.
‘I want to emphasise that I have prioritised the development of legislation to provide for an opt-out system of consent for organ donation, and my Department is currently working on this in the context of work required to develop an over-arching human tissue policy and legislative framework. I intend to bring a memo to Government shortly setting out this policy direction and it is my intention to launch a public consultation on the development of the proposals before the end of the summer.”
See www.odti.ie to find out more about organ donation and the work of the National Organ Procurement Service, or to download a copy of the ODTI Annual Report 2016.
ENDS
Issued by: HSE National Press Office
01 635 2840 / ei.es1508817997h@sse1508817997rp1508817997
Notes for Editors:
Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland (ODTI) was established to provide governance, integration and leadership for Organ Donation and Transplantation in Ireland.
The Office is dedicated to saving and improving lives by improving organ donation rates in Ireland.
The ODTI office is responsible for:
- Delivery of the National Organ Procurement Service for Ireland
- Providing the strategic framework for Organ Donation and Transplantation
- Ensuring best use of resources and the best possible outcomes
- Compliance with and implementation of assigned functions in the Directive on standards of quality and safety of human organs intended for transplantation (Directive 2010/53/EC) and Statutory Instrument (S.I) No. 325 of 2012, i.e. ensure that;
- A framework for quality and safety is established to cover all stages of organ donation and transplant of organs
- Reporting systems are in place for adverse events related to the quality and safety of organs for organ donation and transplantation
- Data collection for publication annually in relation to organ donation and transplantation activities
- Appropriate organ exchange agreements and arrangements are in place between member states
- Living donor register is kept in accordance with data protection legislation.