Scottish Donation and Transplant Group written update: August 2025

Tissue donation update

Update given by:

• Dr Sharon Zahra, Clinical Lead
• Mr Neil Healy, Lead Nurse – Tissues and Cells, Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS)

Staffing update

SNBTS is currently actively recruiting additional Tissue Donor Co-ordinators and tissue retrieval staff with the aim of being able to provide a resilient eye-retrieval service in the central belt of Scotland in the near future. Once the staff are in post and trained there is the plan to actively engage with donating hospitals and hospices to raise awareness about the importance of referring potential eye-only donors. SNBTS is also taking line management responsibility for the Renal Education and Choices at Home (REACH) Programme Lead and Ali Reed has been recruited into this post with a start date of mid-September 2025.

Tissue referrals 

The Tissue Donor Co-ordinators continue to engage with tissue donating hospitals to maintain awareness about tissue donation, providing training and feedback on progressing and missed donation potential on a regular basis. 

During the first four months of this financial year (2025/26) there were 104 referrals for consideration of multi-tissue donation. SNBTS continues to note that a relatively high proportion of higher risk potential donors and donors with multiple co-morbidities are being referred leading to a high deferral rate – 77 of the 104 (74%) referrals were deferred. There is also a continuing trend of significant family refusals.

Tissue donation rates

In the first four months of the current financial year (2025/26), 10 deceased donors were successfully progressed to donation. All 10 donors donated tissue after organ donation, donating eight heart tissue products and 22 tendons. There were also 28 eyes retrieved by SNBTS from 14 eye donors. As previously mentioned work is ongoing to provide a resilient eye retrieval service in the central belt of Scotland.

For the Assessment of Individualised Risk (FAIR) III changes

The updated MaSH (questionnaire used for the assessment of all UK organ and tissue donors) that includes changes as a result of FAIR III is now available for training. Both SNBTS and NHSBT are working to a go live date of 4 September 2025. 

Pancreatic islet programme 

The SNBTS Islet Isolation laboratory continues to provide an excellent life-saving service. In the first four months of this financial year (2025/26), 10 suitable pancreata were sent to SNBTS, leading to a successful islet cell product in two cases (20%) both being successfully transplanted. 

The service continues to face consumables being discontinued by suppliers at short notice, resulting in SNBTS continually needing to identify alternative suppliers for bespoke consumables. This is a persistent issue.

SNBTS is also working hard to try and identify a suitable replacement for the COBE, an essential piece of equipment required for islet cell purification. This is a worldwide issue at present. SNBTS has started work on assessing the Prodigy (Miltenyi), having to date carried out four isolations on non-clinical grade pancreata. The outcomes have been mixed and SNBTS continues to liaise with Miltenyi to amend the protocol used on the Prodigy with the aim of identifying whether the Prodigy can successfully isolate islets or not. Work is also ongoing with Biorep for SNBTS to validate the PRISM – this machine was expected in Edinburgh in July but Biorep have indicated a delay in being able to send the machine. SNBTS continues to liaise with Biorep and there is the expectation that the PRISM will be sent to SNBTS in August 2025.

Live bone donation

Identifying suitable potential bone donors from patients having a primary hip replacement continues to be a challenge due to a very high proportion of such patients having multiple co-morbidities that lead to potential donor deferral. Despite this, the bone donation rate in the first four months of this financial year (2025/26) has been reasonably steady, with 228 bones being donated while 220 bone were used clinically. 

In light of the fact that the proportion of patients waiting for a primary hip replacement that are identified as being suitable for bone donation has decreased over time SNBTS is working closely with Forth Valley Hospital to bring this hospital on line for bone donation as an additional bone donating hospital.