Graft service at the "breaking point"

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"She wanted life to be like before her kidneys closed."

Scot Radcliffe's wife, Gina Ravens, had been waiting for four years on the list of transplants as a life-saving organ.

He was 62 years old and was dialysed three times a week.

Then, at the beginning of New Year 2017, she received the call that she was waiting for: a kidney had become available.

"For her, it was like it was Christmas day," says Scot. "I connected her to the dialysis machine when the call was received. She started to hang on, got dressed and she left."

Gina is headed to the Oxford Hospital.

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Scot Radcliffe

"She was ready and they said that as soon as they found a bed for her, they would start preparing her for surgery, and they would come back every half hour to rebadure her that everything would be fine," she said. Scotus.

But later in the afternoon, Gina had devastating news.

"They came and said that they could not find a bed for her and that she should go home."

Gina's transplant was canceled and, as they understood, the organ was wasted.

The NHS Foundation Trust at Oxford University Hospital stated that he could not comment on any individual case, but told Live Investigates that "the decisions made regarding the care of each patient are taken in the best interest of that patient by the clinicians who take care of it ".

He added that the majority of last year's transplants did not require an intensive care bed and that he was used to receiving a growing number of transplants.

For Scot, it is extremely difficult to think that an organ donation was not used.

"I can not help but think that the family that donated the kidney would be devastated as much as me, if not more."

& # 39; Break Point & # 39;

Although rare, Gina's case is not unique.

Professor Nizam Mamode is chairman of the Surgeons' Chapter of the British Transplantation Society. He told the program that the transplant department is "more than cracking".

He added that the availability of intensive care beds, the difficulty of access to operating rooms, shortages of staff and the provision of services outside working hours put additional pressure on a service that is struggling to meet the demand.

"I think we're really breaking down, I do not think people can go on that longer and I think it really requires urgent action.

"Transplants have been enormously successful, with the number of transplants increasing by about 50% over the past eight to ten years, but the workload has increased for everyone."

Professor Mamode stated that the transplant team was under "very, very important" stress, with surgeons working regularly for very long periods without interruption.

& # 39; Maximize opportunities & # 39;

As of next year, adults in England will be considered potential donors, unless they choose not to participate or they are excluded from it.

But an impact study by the NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) obtained by the Guardian newspaper and consulted by the BBC revealed that the system is already under pressure.

It was found that the organ harvesting staff was under "extreme stress". And he added that while it will take several years before the full impact of the changes is felt, "the transplant capacity is already struggling to meet the demand of some units."

A spokesman for the Welsh government said that in rare cases organs could not be recovered due to lack of capacity, but that everything was done to avoid this.

They added that they were working with the NHSBT and UK hospitals "to maximize opportunities for organ donations and transplants within existing resources".

At the same time, the Scottish Government has stated that the capacity problems facing some parts of the NHS in England are "not replicated in Scottish transplant units", but continue to monitor the situation closely, adding that it is "very rare in Scotland that a transplant unit deposits an organ because of capacity problems".

In Northern Ireland, people are currently opting for organ and tissue donation.

According to Professor Mamode, the change in legislation in England is good news for patients, but capacity issues are already having an impact.

"We are aware of cases all over the country where, due to a lack of capacity, an organ ends up not being transplanted because once you have had it for a long time, the organ will not be transplanted. "It is more apt to be transplanted – it is a rare event, but it has happened."

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), which is busy performing transplant services in the UK, told Live Investigates 5 that it was not possible to provide data on the number of times that an organ had not been used due to capacity issues.

& # 39; difficult & # 39;

Scot claims that the fact that his wife Gina's operation did not unfold leaves her "devastated".

"She kept in touch long enough to go home and sat down and started screaming, thinking that it would be another four years if she ever had another kidney or another chance for a kidney."

Gina had a successful transplant, but then developed an infection and died in February 2017.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs said the new consent system will save hundreds of lives each year.

"We are fully aware that this approach will be a challenge for resources, including staffing, which is why we are investing an additional £ 34 billion a year in cash in the NHS by 2023- 2024 and there will be a 12-month transition period to allow all the necessary preparations to take place. "

Sally Johnson, outgoing Executive Director and former Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation for the NHSBT, said, "Organ donation and transplantation is an extremely sensitive, challenging and intense work environment, where time is critical.

"Every minute counts so no donations are wasted, which means we are constantly working under pressure."

She added that they expect the number of deceased organ donors and transplant recipients to increase at the time of the coming into force of the law change, but stated that that the NHSBT cooperate with all the organizations involved to ensure that the necessary resources are in place to make the best use of each given organ ".

You can hear 5 Live Investigates Sunday, March 24 at 11:00 GMT and then on BBC Sounds.