NHS App organ donation - record or change your decision

You can record your organ donation decision in the NHS App in under a minute: select Profile, then Organ donation decision. You can also use the NHS Organ Donor Register online or call 0300 123 23 23. Every part of the UK now has an opt-out system, so recording your choice and telling your family is the best way to make sure your wishes are followed.

NHS App organ donation: step by step

1. Open the NHS App and log in. (New to the app? See getting started with the NHS App.)
2. Select Profile from the menu bar.
3. Select Organ donation decision.
4. If you have not recorded a decision before, follow the steps on screen.
5. If you have, you will see your current decision and can confirm it or change it.

Your choice is saved on the NHS Organ Donor Register, the same national record the NHS uses across the UK.

The NHS App is for people registered with a GP in England. In Wales, the NHS Wales App also lets you set your organ donation preference.

Other ways to record or change your decision

• Online at the NHS Organ Donor Register.
• By phone on 0300 123 23 23 (the NHS Organ Donor Line).

You will get a confirmation letter within 10 days. First-time registrants are also sent an organ donor card. There is no deadline, and you can change your mind at any time.

What you can choose

• Yes, I want to donate, and choose all organs and tissue or only some. The register covers the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas, small bowel, corneas and tissue.
• No, I do not want to donate. This is how you opt out.
• Nominate a representative. You can name up to two people to make the decision for you after your death. This needs a signed and witnessed form.

You can also say whether you would like NHS staff to talk with your family about your faith or beliefs. This helps make sure donation fits with them.

How the opt-out law works

Under opt-out, adults are treated as agreeing to be a donor when they die unless they have recorded a decision not to donate or are in an excluded group. You still have a choice.

In each nation, the opt-out does not apply to:

• children (under 18, or under 16 in Scotland)
• people who lack the mental capacity to understand the law
• people who have lived there for less than 12 months before their death
• in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, visitors and people not living there voluntarily

For these groups, the family is asked to decide. Some rarer transplants, such as face, limb or womb, always need explicit permission from the family in England.

Having an illness or medical condition does not stop you registering. Specialists decide at the time whether organs can be used. There is no age limit to join the register, and parents can register for their children.

Talking to your family

Your family will always be involved. A specialist nurse checks the register and talks with those closest to you. Doctors will not go ahead if your family objects, even if you registered as a donor.

Families who know what their relative wanted find the decision much easier. A few simple steps help:

1. Record your decision, so there is no doubt.
2. Tell the people closest to you, in plain words. “I’ve signed up to be a donor” or “I’ve opted out” is enough.
3. Say if anything matters to you, such as particular organs or your faith.
4. If you change your mind, update your record and tell them again.

If you are worried about how donation fits with your religion, the NHS Organ Donation website has information by faith. Specialist nurses can involve a faith representative if your family asks.

One family’s story: Max and Keira

NHS Blood and Transplant tells the story of Max, who had a heart transplant when he was nine. He had a disease of the heart muscle and waited eight months for a new heart.

His heart came from Keira, who died aged nine. Her parents chose to donate her organs to help other people, at the hardest moment of their lives.

While he waited, Max and his family backed the campaign for an opt-out system. After his recovery he kept campaigning for more families to agree to donation. The law in England was named Max and Keira’s Law after them, and came into force on 20 May 2020.

Read Max’s story on the NHS Organ Donation website.

Giving blood

If you would like to help in another way, you can sign up to give blood or plasma in England at NHS Blood Donation.

When to get help

Organ donation decisions are not urgent medical matters. But:

• Call 999 in any life-threatening emergency.
• Call the NHS Organ Donor Line on 0300 123 23 23 (NHS Organ Donor Register) if you cannot record or change your decision in the app or online, or want to check what is on the register.
• Contact your GP surgery if you cannot get into the NHS App.
• Talk to your GP or a specialist if you are on a transplant list or are thinking about being a living donor. That is a separate process.