Introduction: Discussing organ donation with families at the end of a patient’s life can trigger varied responses, especially in diverse urban settings like London. These responses are influenced by a complex mix of cultural and religious factors. As specialist nurses, we understand that respecting a family’s cultural and faith background is key to providing compassionate, person-centred care and supporting informed decisions. London has the lowest proportion of individuals registered on the Organ Donor Register in the UK, alongside the highest ethnic diversity. This underscores the need for culturally sensitive conversations tailored to each family’s background, beliefs, and values.
Method: To address the low consent rates in London’s diverse community, we organised a full-day educational session focusing on equality, diversity, and inclusion. Our goal was to improve our team’s cultural competency by learning directly from representatives of various faiths and non-faith perspectives. Our approach was informed by monthly audits of potential donors, which include ethnicity and faith data; most families identified as Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, or non-religious.
We invited community leaders from these groups to share their views on organ donation within their cultural or religious frameworks. Each speaker addressed the question: “What does organ donation look like in your faith or culture?” Presentations lasted 15 minutes, followed by a Q&A with the London Organ Donation team. The event aimed to foster dialogue between community representatives and specialist nurses to promote mutual learning and address challenges in gaining organ donation consent.
Following the session, we sent a questionnaire to specialist nurses to gauge their views on the multi-faith discussion.
Results: Although only 7 out of over 20 attendees completed feedback forms, responses were highly positive. The multi-faith segment scored an average of 4.71 out of 5. Attendees valued the opportunity to engage directly with faith leaders and requested more sessions including wider religious and cultural representation. Specialist nurses reported increased confidence in navigating sensitive conversations about organ donation with families from diverse backgrounds. While causality cannot be confirmed, the London team met its target of a 38% consent rate from minority ethnic families during the 2024/2025 financial year.
Conclusion: Culturally competent care requires recognising and respecting the cultural, spiritual, and ethnic diversity of the communities served. This educational model can be adapted for other regions by engaging local community and faith leaders. Ultimately, culturally informed practice builds trust, improves communication, and ensures all families feel supported during organ donation decisions.