Doncaster and Bassetlaw hospitals turn pink amid organ donation appeal

Hospitals in Doncaster and Bassetlaw will be illuminated pink as part of a campaign encouraging families to discuss organ donation and make their wishes clear. Bassetlaw Hospital will light up on 22 September, followed by Doncaster Royal Infirmary on 23 September, during Organ Donation Week, which runs from 21 to 27 September. The campaign comes as more than 8,000 people are waiting for a transplant nationally — the highest number recorded. More than 400 people across the UK died last year while waiting. Figures from NHS Blood and Transplant show family consent at the time of death fell from 69% in 2020/21 to 57% in 2025/26. Jane Tute, Specialist Nurse in Organ Donation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “It is wonderful to see our hospitals lighting up pink once again for Organ Donation Week. We hope the striking display will catch people’s attention, encourage them to find out more about organ donation and prompt those important conversations with their loved ones. “Sadly, opportunities to save lives are lost every year, both here in South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire and across the country. Families are much more likely to support organ donation when they know their loved one’s wishes, so we’re encouraging everyone to have that discussion and make sure their decision is known.” In 2025, almost 90% of families supported donation when they knew their loved one had made their wishes clear. However, 769 families did not support donation last year, including 167 which overruled a registered or expressed decision. Together with 602 cases where presumed consent was not supported, these represented more than 2,000 lost transplant opportunities. Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals will also hold a memorial service on 23 September. Its Organ Donation Awareness Team will visit wards and local colleges and participate in the Cusworth Hall parkrun. A donor can potentially save up to nine lives. People can record their decision at www.organdonation.nhs.uk or through the NHS App in England and Wales.