Promoting and Supporting Positive Conversations and Knowledge Mobilisation About Organ Donation in NHS Staff: a Hashtag “#” Series of Projects

Abstract

Implementation of the 'soft' opt-out legislation in England has not had the desired impact in increasing the number of deceased donations and consent. The need for organs continues to be greater than the number of organs available, consent rates have fallen and organ donor registrations have stagnated. Introducing the legislation during the pandemic has had a profound effect with public awareness campaigns withheld, leaving a significant proportion of the population unaware of the change. Strategies to increase the public's awareness and understanding of organ donation and the opt-out legislation are needed, as well as to encourage decision-making and sharing this with their families. We outline several '#' projects (#conversations, #options, #speak) with NHS staff to demonstrate how we can successfully utilise this specific population as trusted individuals and advocates to promote positive communications about organ donation and the opt-out legislation. NHS England is one of the biggest employers and most ethnically diverse across Europe. We know that NHS staff are more supportive, more aware and are more likely to have made an organ donation decision and had conversations with their families than the public. This places them in a unique and valuable position to lead positive conversations about organ donation.