The role, recruitment and training of transplant co-ordinators must be reviewed if the availability of organs for donation is to be standardised across the UK, according to a report from the British Transplantation Society.

The government recently launched a campaign to encourage more organ donation, but the society says this must be matched by higher standards to avoid waste.

The variation in the way transplant co-ordinators work could explain regional differences in donation rates, says the report.

It adds that staffing should be adequate, with sufficient organ procurement co-ordinators available to provide 24 hour cover.

The report also sets out examples of good practice.

Towards Standards for Organ and Tissue Transplantation in the UK. British Transplantation Society, PO Box 352, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1GJ.£5.

See News Focus, pages 16-17.