Can I include my wishes about organ donation in my Advance Decision?
You can include your preferences for organ donation in your Advance Decision as this will help your healthcare team to understand your wishes. However, anything you write with regard to organ donation will not be binding on healthcare professionals because only the refusal of medical treatment is legally binding in an Advance Decision. Organ donation is not considered a medical treatment, but something that happens after death.
You can also include your wishes about organ donation in your Advance Statement.
If you live in England, one way to ensure that, where possible, your organs will be donated is to join the Organ Donor register and carry an Organ Donor card. This will help a healthcare professional to know that it is your wish to donate your organs.
For more information see www.organdonation.nhs.uk.
From 1st December 2015 if you live in Wales, it will be presumed that you consent to organ donation unless you have specifically opted out.
For more information about organ donation in Wales see www.organdonationwales.org.
What else should I consider when thinking about whether to make an Advance Decision or an LPA?
Can I refuse to go to hospital in my Advance Decision?