Flags will be raised at Lincolnshire’s hospitals to honour those who have helped save the lives of others through organ donation.
The pink organ donation flag will fly at Lincoln County Hospital and Pilgrim Hospital, Boston, each time a person becomes a donor in Lincolnshire.
Dr Gary Wilbourn, consultant in intensive care and anaesthesia and clinical lead for organ donation at United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (ULTH), said: “By raising a flag in Boston and Lincoln with their loved ones consent, we will honour the decision made to give the gift of life through organ donation each time it happens in our hospitals.
“We hope it will signify an opportunity to reflect on the life-changing impact being an organ donor has on all involved, including the donor, those recipients who may have been waiting a long time to receive an organ, their families and friends, and our NHS colleagues involved in their care.
“It is also a welcome tribute alongside the existing organ donation memorial trees, which can be found in the main entrances of our hospitals in Boston and Lincoln.”
The flags have been purchased thanks to the support of the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity. The charity provides additional items not funded through NHS budgets.
During 2024/25, Lincolnshire’s hospital teams supported seven families to donate the organs of their loved ones. This resulted in 21 other people being able to receive a potentially life-saving organ transplant.
There are currently more than 8,000 people waiting for a transplant in the UK.
Image credit: United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust
