Transplant donors' wrong organs removed

Avoidable errors led to the wrong organs being removed from the bodies of 25 donors, an independent review has found.

Faulty data conversion software led to mistakes in the way information was transferred from one government agency to another.

The review said UK Transplant had used faulty software to upload data on donation wishes from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) when it moved to a new computer system in 1999. The DVLA application form includes a section where people can register their wish to become an organ donor.

The mistake came to light in February when NHS Blood and Transplant wrote to new donors thanking them for joining the register, and outlining what organs they had agreed to donate.