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North Thames Region
The second region
to be featured on the website is North Thames. The team covers a
large geographical area ranging from Slough to Southend and
extending up as far north as Stevenage. The service area has a
population of 7.2 million people; within the area there are 47 acute
NHS Trusts which incorporate 54 intensive care units and 31
emergency departments. The team also provide a donor referral and
facilitation service to a number of private hospitals. Our office is
based in Paddington, which means easy access to central London.
The team consists of fourteen specialised nurses with five of these
being in house coordinators who are based at the Neuro centres
within the region. The team is supported by an office manager and an
administrative assistant, who endeavour to ensure that amongst other
things we don’t run out of tea bags!!!
Following an audit that was undertaken in 2005-2006 to explore the
potential for organ donation within ten of the Accident and
Emergency departments of the North Thames Region, a significant
potential for donation within the A&E departments was identified. As
a result of this audit and a development of an A&E programme for
donation the team has seen a 35% increase in the number of referrals
and a 133% increase in the number of patients who went on to donate
from the Accident and Emergency Department in the last year. The
team have recently held a study day and an evening symposium for
Accident and Emergency Staff which was well evaluated by those who
attended.
In October 2006, the team held a thanksgiving and remembrance
service for donor families. This was held at the Hilton Metropole in
Paddington and was attended by 600 people. Professor Magdi Yacoub
gave the opening speech. The team hope to have another service in
the near future.
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