Publish date: 22 September 2025
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust and Isle of Wight NHS Trustis marking Organ Donation Week 2025 with the launch of its first-ever podcast series, giving a platform to patients, families, and NHS staff whose lives have been touched by organ donation.
Organ Donation Week, taking place from Monday 22 September 2025 to Sunday 28 September 2025, is a national campaign designed to raise awareness about the life-saving impact of organ donation and the importance of sharing your decision with loved ones. Across the UK, thousands of people are waiting for a transplant and sadly, many will not receive one in time.
The need for organ donors remains urgent. In the past decade alone, more than 12,000 people in the UK died while waiting for a transplant or after becoming too ill to undergo one. Figures show that 4,900 people died while actively on the waiting list, and a further 7,700 were removed after their health deteriorated, with many passing away soon afterwards.
Earlier this year, NHS Blood and Transplant reported that the UK transplant waiting list had reached its highest level on record, with 8,000 people still waiting for a life-saving transplant.
Despite the challenges, progress is being made. In the last decade, more than 44,000 lives have been saved or improved through deceased and living donor organ transplants. One donor alone has the potential to save or transform up to nine lives, with the possibility of helping many more through tissue donation.
A new way to share real stories
To help bring these numbers to life, both Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust and Isle of Wight NHS Trust has produced a new podcast series to coincide with Organ Donation Week. Each episode features powerful, personal accounts from those directly involved: transplant recipients who describe the second chance at life that donation has given them; families who share the comfort of knowing their loved one’s decision saved others; and healthcare professionals who dedicate their work to guiding patients and families through the donation process with compassion and care.
Through these stories, the series highlights the reality of organ donation, the emotional journeys behind it, and the profound impact it has on individuals, families and communities.
Jack Rubens from Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust said:
"Organ donation is an incredibly generous act that has the power to save and transform lives. These podcasts are a really valuable way of helping people to understand more about the donation process, to hear directly from those who have lived through it, and to see the difference that organ donation can make. My hope is that by listening, more people will feel confident to make their decision and to share it with their families."
Why Organ Donation Week matters
Organ Donation Week provides an important opportunity to reflect on the extraordinary difference that donors and their families make every year. While millions of people across the UK have signed up to the NHS Organ Donor Register, families are still not always aware of their loved one’s wishes when the time comes. That is why having the conversation now is so vital.
Rachel Clare from the Isle of Wight NHS Trust said:
"Organ donation is one of the most selfless gifts a person can give. But we know that many families still face difficult decisions if they are unsure of their loved one’s wishes. These podcasts are a wonderful way of opening up the conversation, helping people to understand more about organ donation, and showing the extraordinary difference it makes to patients and families.”
By listening and talking about it, we hope more people will feel able to make their decision and share it with those closest to them."
How to get involved
Both Trusts are encouraging everyone to listen to the new podcast series during Organ Donation Week and to take the time to discuss their decision with family and friends.
Listen now: https://
To register your decision or to find out more: https://