The Organ and Tissue Donation (Deemed Consent) Bill (the Bill) was passed by the Northern Ireland Assembly in February 2022. The legislation is due to come into effect in Northern Ireland in Spring 2023. It will amend the interpretation of ‘appropriate consent’ as set out in the Human Tissue Act 2004 for Northern Ireland (NI) and introduce an ‘opt-out’ system for deceased organ and tissue donation.
The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) has agreed with the Department of Health in NI to make changes to our existing Code of Practice F (Deemed Consent), part two, to reflect the changes being introduced in NI.
The HTA will be holding a consultation to provide an opportunity for all those working in the field of organ and tissue donation and transplantation to review the revisions being made to the Code.
The review of the code will be focused on ensuring the changes made:
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accurately reflect the legislative changes which introduce deemed consent for deceased organ and tissue donation in NI
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clearly describe the circumstances where deemed consent is applicable.
The consultation will be open from 6 May 2022 to 24 June 2022 and the HTA welcomes your comments on the proposed changes to the Code.
If you have any comments or would like to know more about the consultation, please email Code@hta.gov.uk.