Raising awareness and breaking taboos around organ donation

Conversations about organ donation can be some of the most difficult in healthcare—but they are also among the most important.

More than ten years after Wales became the first UK nation to introduce the ‘soft’ opt‑out system for organ donation, consent rates have declined and transplant waiting lists have reached record levels across the UK. These trends underline the ongoing need for education, support and open conversations about organ donation, particularly within healthcare settings.

Within the School of Healthcare Sciences, organ donation has become an increasingly important focus of teaching, research and community engagement. Nelson Selvaraj, Lecturer in Adult Nursing, brings together academic expertise, clinical experience and voluntary trustee responsibilities with the Cardiff‑based Believe Organ Donor Support charity to support wider public understanding of this complex and emotive subject.

As part of this collaboration, the charity’s Chief Executive contributes to teaching sessions with undergraduate nursing students. These sessions help prepare future nurses for sensitive conversations with patients and families, particularly in trauma, emergency and critical care environments where decisions about organ donation are most likely to arise. The involvement of lived experience supports students to build confidence, empathy and professional competence.

In December last year, Nelson attended the opening of the Believe Memorial Garden at Thornhill Cemetery in Cardiff. Opened on the tenth anniversary of the Welsh opt‑out legislation, the garden provides a dedicated reflective and educational space recognising organ donors and their loved ones. The event brought together healthcare professionals, educators, policymakers and members of the public, highlighting the value of shared reflection and dialogue in challenging stigma and encouraging understanding.

Alongside teaching, Nelson’s research further contributes to this agenda. A former critical care nurse, he was awarded RCBC Wales First into Research funding in 2023 to explore the challenges experienced by Intensive Care Unit nurses during the organ donation process. Developed with public representation, the work was presented nationally and internationally and published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing in 2025.

By embedding organ donation within education, research and reflective practice, the School continues to support students, staff and wider communities in addressing misconceptions, breaking down taboos and promoting informed conversations around this life‑saving subject.