More cash to be spent on explaining ‘opt out’ organ donations

Wednesday 08 August 2018

Jersey’s Health Minister hopes a new law which should be in place very soon ‘will make it easier for islanders to donate their organs and potentially save more lives’.

In April the States voted 45 to 1 to introduce a new organ donation law which will operate on a similar basis to that currently being run in Wales.

Before the law takes effect, Health Minister Deputy Richard Renouf asked scrutiny for their comments. They’ve now been published along with the Minister’s response to them.

Scrutiny notes the percentage of islanders currently signed up for the NHS voluntary scheme is considerably lower than the national average: 14% compared to 38%. Deputy Renouf admits the current numbers are ‘disappointing’, but hopes they’ll increase following the law change. One of the reasons scrutiny believes the numbers are low locally is because unlike in the UK, you can’t currently sign up for the scheme through the driving licence application process. The new law will also change this.

By the end of September the Constables’ Committee – which is responsible for issuing driving licences through the parishes – intends to have new application forms which will no longer have details about opting in.

Scrutiny is also worried about the lack of money being spent on informing islanders about the proposed changes. It notes when Wales adopted the scheme it spent £3.4m on a public information campaign. £20,000 has been earmarked in Jersey. That’s 20p for everybody living in the Island, as opposed to £1.10 in Wales.

Deputy Renouf says “Wales was the first UK jurisdiction to make the change to an opt-out system, so it was expected that it would spend more per head on communicating the change to the public… Being a small island it is easier to communicate with the island’s population.” But, he goes on to say if additional cash is needed he’ll make sure it’s available. Scrutiny says it’s important the information is also made available in Portuguese and Polish.

Despite it being assumed that unless you’ve opted out, you want to donate your organs, your next of kin still have the final say. They can refuse. That’s why both scrutiny and the minister says one of the most important things that needs to be done if the scheme is to work, is for donors to chat through their intentions with relatives, rather than leaving them having to make tough decisions under extreme emotional conditions.