Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust worker receives MBE for his work in organ donation

Shibu Chacko, based at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

He has been made an MBE for his work in organ donation, especially with minority communities.

Over the past five years Shibu, pictured, who is employed jointly by the Trust and NHS Blood and Transplant, has encouraged more than 3,000 people from black and minority ethnic (BME) communities to sign up to the organ donation register.

“When I first started in the job, I became aware that there was a shortage of donors from ethnic minority communities, so I decided to do something about it,” said Shibu.

“There are 6,500 patients on the waiting list for a donor organ, 1,800 from BME communities.

“Patients do better if they receive an organ from someone of the same ethnicity, but the numbers of organ donors are extremely low from the minority community, in fact less than 100 donors a year.”