These guides set out your basic rights when dealing with an establishment regulated by the HTA.
The guides also explain how the use of human tissue is regulated in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. This includes who can give consent for different activities, the information you should receive and options for using and disposing of tissue.
There are eight guides in total, each relating to the Codes of Practice we provide to professionals.
There are a number of different types of living organ donation, some of which involve a donor and recipient coming together either because of a pre-existing relationship or through a third party and others where the donor and recipient(s) are matched by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT). The information below provides an overview of the types of living organ donation which you may wish to consider if you are thinking about becoming a living organ donor.
On this page you will find information for potential donors, their recipients recipients and those setting up websites that aim to bring these people together on how the system works in the UK and issues to consider.
Detailed FAQs on how and why we regulate mortuaries where post mortem examinations take place.
Donating your body to a medical school is a valuable gift. Your donation will become an important resource for training healthcare professionals or for research.
The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) licenses organisations that collect or receive bodies or other human materials.
Under the Human Tissue Act 2004, written and witnessed consent must be given prior to death. Consent cannot be given by anyone else after your death.
Our role is to make sure that these organisations remove, store, and use brains, bodies and tissues in an appropriate, respectful and well-managed way, and that the wishes of individual patients and their families are respected.
The HTA’s regulation helps ensure that tissue is stored to high standards, to be of most use to healthcare training and research. We know that more people are willing to donate in the knowledge there is an effective regulator that monitors and inspects organisations against certain standards.
