Max and Keira's law - how have things changed one year on?

It's been exactly one year since Max and Kiera's law officially came into force in England.

The legislation - named after two children - was introduced in May 2020 to make it easier for adults to become organ donors.

Before the law, those who were interested in becoming donors had to opt in and they were required to sign up to something known as the organ donation list.

Without this, a person's organs couldn't be automatically used to help save or improve the lives of other people, even if they'd previously expressed an interest in donating them.

Under Max and Keira's law, all those over the age of 18 are presumed to be potential donors when they die and adults now have to opt out if they don't want to donate their organs.

People who belong to groups that aren't allowed to be donors, for example those who lack the mental capacity to understand what the new law means, and people who've lived in the UK for less than 12 months, are exempt from the law change.

What impact has the new law had so far?

Since Max and Keira's law was passed, more than 1,000 people in England who have passed away have donated their organs.

Of these, 296 people were considered to be willing to donate even though they hadn't officially expressed an organ donation decision during their lifetime, according to NHS Blood and Transplant.

This accounts for around a third (29%) of all donors (1,021) since 20 May 2020 and resulted in a total of 714 organs being transplanted.

Simran's story

Simran had been waiting for a kidney transplant for five years

One of those to benefit from the change in the law is 19-year-old Simran.

She was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease when she was just 13 which meant she relied on 10 hours of dialysis every night. She thought her transplant call "would never come".

"The dialysis meant I couldn't sleep on my side and some nights the pain was so bad it would wake me up.

"Waiting for a transplant also means I wasn't really able to go abroad for a holiday, in case a kidney became available."

Simran's kidney transplant means she's now well enough to start university

At the time of the change to the law, Simran had been waiting for a kidney transplant for five years and hadn't received a single potential call about a possible organ donation during that time.

"Being from an Indian background, I was told early on that I could end up waiting longer for my transplant," she said.

"When I finally got my call last September, I honestly couldn't believe it.

"While recovery took some time, it was just wonderful to finally be free of daily dialysis and I have even been well enough to start university.

"I am just so grateful to the donor and their family who said yes and made all this possible."

What are the rules around the UK?

In 2015, Wales became the first nation in the UK to introduce an opt out system to increase the number of organ donors.

Scotland also has a similar system which came into effect in March this year.

The current organ donation law in Northern Ireland remains an opt-in system. The Northern Ireland Assembly decided in 2016 not to make any changes at that time, but they brought in more rules about promoting organ donation as a means of increasing the number of donors.