Kidney transplant milestone at Oxford University Hospitals

The kidney transplant team at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) has completed more than 5,000 adult kidney transplants since its first procedure was carried out on January 30, 1975.

Most of those transplants—59 per cent—have been carried out in the past 15 years at the Trust’s facilities, which include the John Radcliffe, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Churchill Hospital, and Horton General Hospital.

Sanjay Sinha, transplant consultant and lead for kidney transplants at OUH, said: “Reaching over 5,000 transplants is a testament to the dedication of our teams and the trust placed in us by our patients.

“We remain committed to advancing care and improving outcomes for every individual patient we serve.”

The Trust performs around 170 kidney transplants each year and serves a large region which covers Swindon, Gloucester, High Wycombe, and Banbury.

In 2024-25, OUH was recognised as the top-performing Trust in the UK for adult living kidney transplants.

Kidney transplants use organs from either deceased or living donors and are often needed due to conditions such as diabetes, inherited polycystic kidney disease, glomerulonephritis, and pyelonephritis.

Nicki Hayward-Priest, transplant specialist nurse and lead for living donor transplants, said: “The credit for this success goes to our multi-faceted approach and collaborative effort in transforming the donor pathway and improving coordination between donor and recipient nursing teams.

“We have worked hard to reduce delays and maximise our operational capacity.”

Clare Snelgrove, transplant specialist nurse and lead for deceased donor transplants, also praised the collective efforts behind the achievement.

She said: “The consistent increase in the number of kidney transplants at OUH is the result of our ongoing efforts to excel operationally.

“This achievement reflects exceptional teamwork across surgical, nursing, and multidisciplinary teams, including consultant surgeons, nephrologists, anaesthetists, pharmacy, cardiology, radiology, theatre staff, service managers, administrative staff, and independent volunteer assessors.”

The milestone also marks 50 years since the centre’s first kidney transplant was performed.

Since then, the service has grown into one of the UK’s leading kidney transplant centres.

The service has been driven by decades of innovation, multidisciplinary collaboration, and improvements in patient care.

Dr Anny Sykes, divisional director for surgery, women’s and oncology at OUH, said: “This is another outstanding achievement by the adult kidney transplant team this year.

“The team has introduced several innovative approaches to improve efficiency and streamline processes.

“Well done and congratulations to all involved.”