A NEW “soft opt-out” system for organ donation is to be introduced in Scotland, the Scottish Government has announced.

Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell pledged to bring forward legislation after 82 per cent of those who took part in a consultation backed the change. She said the move would be “part of the long-term culture change in attitudes to encourage people to support donation”.

The move will be part of a package of measures aimed at increasing the number of organ transplants that take place in Scotland each year. Scotland currently has the highest proportion of donors of any country in the UK, with 25.5 donors per million people in 2016/17.

A total of 45 per cent of the Scottish population have signed up to the organ donor register, with more than 116,000 people registering in 2016. Between 2007/08 and 2016/17, there was a 146 per cent increase in the number of people who donated their organs after death, from 54 to 133.

A soft opt-out system could increase that by changing the system so that people would be assumed to have consented to their organs being used to help others unless who had signed an opt-out.

The wishes of families and next of kin would continue to be respected, so removal of organs would not go ahead without their support.

The Scottish Government received more than 800 responses to its consultation on the move – including a petition signed by 18,500 people who were in favour of the change.

Campbell said: “As a result, I can confirm that we intend to bring forward legislation to introduce a soft opt-out system. This will build on the significant improvements already made as a result of the donation and transplantation plan for Scotland.”

She made the announcement after meeting father-of-three Michael Hanlon in Glasgow, three months after he had a lifesaving heart transplant. The 56-year-old said: “There’s so many people still waiting in Scotland and I want to use what I went through to make people aware of just how important organ donation is.

"Organ donors are nothing short of heroes.”

Last February, a member’s bill by the then Labour MSP Anne McTaggart was voted down when a Scottish Government amendment to reject the proposal was backed by a majority in the Parliament.

Labour MSP Mark Grififin, who had taken on the issue, welcomed the move, saying: “This long overdue change will increase the number of transplants that take place and, fundamentally, it will save lives. Rather than leading the UK on this issue, Scotland has been trailing behind other countries like Wales after SNP MSPs voted to block Labour’s plans in the last parliament.

“The nationalists’ change of heart is welcome and the fact that this is finally happening is testament to the hard work of relatives, campaigners and transplant recipients.

“Particular tribute has to be paid to Anne McTaggart, former Labour MSP for Glasgow, who has long championed this cause and whose member’s bill I took on after the most recent Holyrood election.”

Dr Peter Bennie, chair of the British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland, said: “Organ transplantation is an area that has seen amazing medical achievements but has not yet reached its full life-saving and life-transforming potential.

“The whole transplant community has worked tremendously hard to increase donation rates but we believe that more can be done. “If properly implemented, with adequate resources and staff, and backed up by a high-profile campaign, an opt-out system could save or transform peoples’ lives.”