Our faith and beliefs commitment

We understand that donating organs and tissue in line with faith or beliefs is important to many people.
 
In recognition of this:
 
In the event of your imminent or confirmed death, specialist nurses from either NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) or the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) will inform your family about your decision to donate your organs and/or tissue in accordance with your faith, beliefs and practices. Those specialist nurses will discuss with your family how donation might proceed in line with your stated wishes, including sharing with your family details of relevant faith and belief statements and helplines. They will talk to your family about whether the organ donation and retrieval process might need to be adapted to respect your faith and beliefs.
 
Upon completion of the registration process, you will have the opportunity to share your donation registration with your family to ensure they are aware of your decision.
 
Your family is entitled to request advice and support from your religious authorities or pastoral carers at any stage of the organ or tissue donation discussions and process.
 
In the case of your imminent or confirmed death, specialist nurses will consult with your family about your decision regarding donation. The specialist nurses will support your family in contacting your religious authorities or pastoral carers if your family wish to consult with them. Your religious authorities or pastoral carers can speak to those involved in the donation process if your family so wishes.
 
If your family want your religious authorities or pastoral carers to be present with them during the discussions regarding organ or tissue donation or at any point of the donation process, including during any tests or procedures undertaken to support donation, and to receive any relevant information, the specialist nurses will liaise with hospital colleagues to seek support for this happening.
 
Specialist nurses will provide information from the NHS Organ Donor Register to your family. These records will only be relevant to your donation decision, to support discussions about the donation process. This is because of patient confidentiality. The specialist nurses will help your family talk to hospital staff about the care you have received. Your family may use this information, if they wish, when they are discussing the potential to fulfil your donation decision with your religious authorities or pastoral carers.
 
Should your family (and religious authorities or pastoral carers, if present) be assured that your organs or tissue can be donated in a manner compliant with your faith, beliefs and practices, then donation can proceed.

If your family has any concerns, the specialist nurses will support them to address these and agree the best approach.