KGH and Tesco team up to get important organ donation message across

The organ and tissue donation committee at Kettering General Hospital has worked with Tesco to increase awareness of the importance of discussing your donation wishes.

And the result is a colourful 9ft by 6ft panel near the entrance to the main Tesco store in Carina Road, Kettering, which reads: ‘Tell your family how you feel about organ donation.’

The panel has been painted by a local Tesco volunteer – who has asked to remain anonymous – and who has painted panels for other local charitable organisations as part of the store’s community work.

Chairman of Kettering General Hospital’s Organ and Tissue Donation Committee, Nicola Lee, said: “I noticed that a number of charities had panels painted outside Tesco and I thought what an ideal opportunity to raise awareness about organ donation in a way that a lot of people will see - and our committee agreed.

“Having a conversation about your wishes around organ donation with your loved ones is very important.

“It makes it much easier for hospital and organ donation representatives to have conversations with families if their wishes are already known.

“This is especially true when donation follows a traumatic incident like an accident or sudden illness when people may be shocked – and perhaps likely to say no unless they already know their loved ones wishes.”

Julie Gillis from Tesco Community Champion said: “At Tesco we seek to support our local community in many ways including with awareness and fundraising.

“Some of the boards represent charities which Tesco itself supports, Diabetes UK, British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK, but we have others now for national and local charities.

“Anyone interested in having their own panel can contact me by email at [email protected].”

The KGH Organ and Tissue Donation Committee were delighted with the Tesco opportunity because it meant they got a great awareness raising tool for the price of materials to design and paint the panel – about £100.

Nicola said: “I want to say a big thank you from the committee to Tesco and to the very kind and anonymous volunteer, who I met, and who has done such a great job on the panel.”

England now has an opt-out system for organ donation, meaning most adults are considered to have no objection to donation unless they have made a decision to opt-out on the Organ Donor Register.

However, families will always be consulted if donation is possible which is why everyone is encouraged to make their wishes known, so that families can honour that decision if the worst happened.

You can register your decision to donate today at www.organdonation.nhs.uk.