A TOTAL of 163 people from across the region received a potentially lifesaving or transforming transplant last year, new figures have revealed.

More people than ever across the country donated their organs following their deaths, according to the Organ Donation and Transplantation Activity Report 2015/16.

In County Durham and Tyne and Wear, 53 people in each county received a transplant that changed their lives, whereas in North Yorkshire that figure reached 57.

However, the report also shows that about four out of ten families in the UK did not agree to donate a relative’s organs.

Across the North-East and North Yorkshire, 45 people died before they received the organ they desperately needed last year.

NHS Blood and Transplant is drawing attention to the situation in the run up to Organ Donation Week, which starts on Monday, September 5.

This year’s theme is ‘Turn an end, into a beginning’, is emphasising how a person could give someone the chance of a new beginning by telling their families we want to be an organ donor.

Organ donation is a relatively rare event in the UK, because although around half a million people die each year, only around one per cent do so in circumstances which allow organs to be donated.

During the week-long campaign NHS Blood and Transplant, hospitals, health teams, charities and individual supporters and their families will urge families to talk about organ donation.

Sally Johnson, director of Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “We recognise that families are approached about organ donation at a difficult time, but with almost all of us prepared to take an organ if we need one, we need to be ready to donate too.

“Think about what we would want others to do for us if we ever need a transplant and be prepared to donate.”

She added: “There are 263 people in North-East and 95 in North Yorkshire waiting for a transplant now and they need people to agree to donate for them to get the organ transplant they so desperately need.

“It is especially important for people from our Black and Asian communities to talk about organ donation.

“I realise that this is a very difficult subject but there are many Black and Asian people who need a transplant. While some are able to receive an organ from a white donor, others will die if there is no donor from their own community.”

To join the NHS Organ Donor Register, visit organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300-1232323.