NSW Organ Donation Services
Welcome to the Organ Donation Services Website in NSW.
Organ Donation and Transplantation has recently undergone a number of changes in an effort to improve the opportunities for more organ donors and therefore more transplantation outcomes.
The Federal Government announced a package of reforms to the Organ Donation and Transplantation Sector in June 2008.
The key features of the reform package include:
- $67 million to fund dedicated organ donation specialist doctors and other staff in public and private hospitals;
- $46 million to establish a new independent national authority to coordinate national organ donation initiatives.
- $17 million in new funding for hospitals to meet additional staffing, bed and infrastructure costs associated with organ donation.
- $13.4 million to continue national public awareness and education;
- $1.9 million for counselling for potential donor families; and
- Other significant measures including enhanced professional education programs, consistent clinical protocols, 'clinical trigger' checklists and data collection for organ transplants in hospitals.
The Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority Act 2008 was passed by the Federal Parliament on 13 November 2008.
On 1st January 2009 the Authority was established.
How does this affect NSW?
As a result of the announced reforms a restructure of Organ and Tissue Donation sector in Australia has taken place and a number of new positions have been created in NSW including 10 hospital based Medical Directors and 19 Expert Nursing Staff.
Currently LifeGift NSW/ACT, part of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service (ARCBS) provides Organ Donor Services in NSW.
At a meeting of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in November 2008, it was decided that State Based Organ Donor Agencies should become part of the Health Department of each State Government.
On the 1st July 2009 there will be a transfer of business from ARCBS LifeGift to the South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Area Health Service (SESIAHS) under NSW Health. [Organisation Chart]
CONTINUITY OF ORGAN DONATION SERVICES WILL BE MAINTAINED THROUGH THE TRANSFER OF BUSINESS TO SESIAHS. This also means that skills and knowledge will be preserved and key personnel in most instances will remain unchanged.
A Medical Director and State Donor Nurse Consultants (who are highly skilled Registered Nurses) attend hospitals where donors have been cared for after their death.
They ensure all legal, procedural and ethical requirements are fulfilled and that the deceased donor and the donor family are always treated with dignity and respect.
The State Organ Donation agency also provides bereavement services to all organ donor families long after the death of a loved one.
The agency also offers community education about the life saving benefits of organ donation for transplantation.
About this website
This website will provide general information during the Transition process.
It will also host general information about the Organ and Tissue process and easy access to the organdonor.com.au website.
Once the transition process has been completed, the website will be hosted by SESIAHS and it will continue to be accessed on the NSW Health website.
How to become an organ donor
- LifeGift Organ donation
http://www.organdonor.com.au