The pilot study carried out by academics from the University of Bedfordshire, and published in the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, highlights how the Polish community could benefit from a tailored education for a clearer understanding of organ donation processes and systems in the UK and registering as an organ donor.

The reports’ authors Professor Gurch Randhawa, Professor of Diversity in Public Health and Chloe Sharp a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the University undertook the study in Luton and Dunstable, an area known to have an established Polish migrant community.

Prof Randhawa said: “The Polish community are under-researched in the UK. They are the fastest growing population in the UK so understanding their health and social care needs is vitally important.

“This study is the first in the UK to explore their views towards organ donation. The findings show the need to develop community engagement with Polish communities regarding organ donation.”

There is a critical shortage of transplantable organs in the UK; with significantly more people waiting for an organ transplant than there are suitable donors. However at present, there is no literature on Polish migrants’ (the fastest growing community in the UK) attitudes toward organ donation.

The study found participants had a positive attitude towards organ donation but demonstrated a lack of knowledge about the organ donation systems and processes in the UK and wanted to learn more about these issues.

Prof Randhawa, who lectures students in the University’s Institute for Health Research (IHR), commented: “As little detailed data on ethnicity is collected on the NHS Organ Donor Register and on the active transplant waiting list, it is currently unclear as to how organ donation affects the Polish community living in the UK.

“However, the findings of the study highlight the Polish community would benefit from tailored education initiatives to raise awareness about the topic. Often previous knowledge had come from films or TV shows.”

Professor Randhawa is a passionate supporter of raising awareness of organ donation among different communities across the UK – spreading the important message that donating your organs after death can help save and transform lives.

Notes for Editors

National Transplant Week 7 Days to Say Yes I Donate runs from the 7 to 13 September 2015. The campaign asks people to share their decision, on what they want to happen after they die, with those closest to them. Research has recently shown that 4.1million people who want to donate their organs say they haven’t talked to a loved one about their decision. Further information can be found at www.organdonation.nhs.uk