A CAMPAIGN has been launched to encourage people to get talking about organ donation.

NHS Blood and Transplant is drawing attention to the need for more families in Bolton to agree to donate a relative's organs in the run up to Organ Donation Week, which starts on September 5.

More people than ever before across the UK donated their organs after their deaths last year, according to the Organ Donation and Transplantation Activity Report 2015/16, being published today.

However, the report also shows that around four out of ten families in the UK did not agree to donate a relative’s organs.

In Greater Manchester, 187 people received a potentially lifesaving or transforming transplant last year but 39 people died before they received the organ they needed.

Furthermore, there has been a shortage of transplant organs for black people, Asians and people from a minority ethnic background.

Dawn Lee, a team manager with the North West Organ Donation Team covering Bolton’s hospitals, said: "We really need Asian people in Bolton to talk about organ donation.

"Asian patients are more likely to need a transplant because they are more susceptible to illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes, all of which may result in organ failure and the need for a lifesaving transplant.

"Although some Asian people are able to receive a transplant from a white donor, for many the best match will come from a donor from the same ethnic background.

"The reality is this - Asian people in Bolton would have more chance of getting a life-saving transplant if there were more donations from Asian donors. One day it could be you, or someone you love, in need of a transplant."

On average, Asian patients wait almost a year longer than the rest of the population for a kidney transplant, and some people will die without ever receiving a transplant if there is no donor from the same background.

Minority ethnic patients make up a third of the UK’s active kidney transplant waiting list but less than 5 percent of organ donors.

NHS Blood and Transplant also reports that families from these communities are also more likely to say no to donating a relative’s organs than white families.

Organ donation is a relatively rare event in the UK, because although around half a million people die each year, only around one percent do so in circumstances which allow organs to be donated.

There are currently 352 people in Greater Manchester waiting for a transplant.

Sally Johnson, Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant said they were grateful to families in Greater Manchester who supported a relative’s decision to donate or who made the decision to donate on behalf of their relative, without which more than 3,500 transplants couldn’t have taken place in the UK.

Suzanne Lomax, Clinical Service Lead for Palliative and End of Life Care at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said it was important for families to discuss organ donation.

She added: "People from any ethnic background may need a lifesaving organ donation. So although donating is a very personal choice, it is something we would encourage all families to understand and talk about."

To find out more about organ donation visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk.