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Watford General Hospital supports vital children’s organ donation campaign

Posted: 14 February 2024

Becky Gorf, specialist nurse organ donationPictured above is Becky Gorf, specialist nurse organ donation, with the doll at Watford General Hospital.

A powerful campaign highlighting the hundreds of children who are waiting for an organ transplant in the UK is being backed by Watford General Hospital.

More than 230 children are waiting for an organ transplant, and the national campaign – called ‘Waiting to Live’ – sees these children transformed into handmade dolls and placed across the country.

West Herts Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has provided a home for one of these dolls at Watford General Hospital during the month of February, in a bid to raise awareness of this vital cause.

The trust's doll can be found in the main building of Watford General by the patient advisory and liaison service (PALS) office.

Each doll has a badge showing their age and which organ they are waiting for, alongside a QR code to take people to Waiting to Live website for more information.

It is hoped that the dolls and the real-life children’s stories will inspire more individuals to consider organ donation and add themselves and their children onto the NHS Organ Donor Register.

Becky Gorf, specialist nurse organ donation, said: "I’m thrilled Watford General Hospital has supported this important campaign highlighting the need for organ donors of all ages.

"Hopefully this will prompt people to have a think about what their wishes are surrounding organ donation and register that decision on the Organ Donor Register."

For more information about the campaign, visit the Waiting to Live website

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  1. For more information, please contact the communications team on: 01923 436280 or email: westherts.communications@nhs.net. Out of hours, please call the Watford General Hospital switchboard on 01923 244366 and ask for the on call communications manager.
  2. West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves people from across Hertfordshire, north London and further afield. It operates from three hospitals; Watford General, St Albans City and Hemel Hempstead. The trust has a catchment area of over 600,000 people and is one of the largest employers locally, with around 5,800 staff and volunteers.
  3. For more information about our hospitals, visit www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk. You can also join us on Facebook, X (Twitter), YouTube and LinkedIn @WestHertsNHS