SOON people in Oxfordshire will need to 'opt out' if they do not want to be an organ donor.

The Government announced this week the law change, which will apply across England, will come into force, subject to parliamentary approval, on May 20.

As of December 31, there were 36 people in Oxfordshire on the transplant list desperately hoping a donor would be found.

NHS Blood and Transplant's director of organ donation and transplantation, Anthony Clarkson, said: “We hope that the new law encourages more people to record their donation decision and talk about organ donation with their families."

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From the time the law changes, all adults in England will be considered as having agreed to donate their own organs when they die unless they record a decision not to donate, what’s known as ‘opt out’, or are in one of the excluded groups.

Those excluded will be people under 18, those who lack the mental capacity to understand the new arrangements, and those who have lived in England for less than a year or are not living here voluntarily.

Even after the law changes, families will still be involved before any organ or tissue donation goes ahead and specialist nurses will continue to speak with families about their loved one’s decision.

For more information visit organdonation.nhs.uk.