A shortage of organs contributed to the deaths of hundreds of patients on the organ donation waiting list last year, figures show.

Three families a week were saying no to organ donation because they were unsure of their relative's wishes, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) said.

It said that when families have to decide on their relative's behalf, some think it is safer to say no.

The reluctance to talk about the issue is contributing to a deadly shortage of organs, with 457 people dying whilst on the waiting list last year, NHSBT said.

Organ Donation Week begins today, and the organisation is encouraging families to discuss the issue.

Four-year-old Aoife O'Sullivan died in March 2016 while waiting for a heart transplant, and her parents have urged people to start discussing the topic.

The youngster was in need of a new heart after suffering heart failure from restrictive cardiomyopathy - a condition which made her heart muscle rigid.

After she died, her parents - Michelle O'Sullivan and Neil Forsyth - chose to donate her kidneys.

Anthony Clarkson, assistant director of organ donation for NHSBT, said: "It's a tragedy, hundreds of people are dying unnecessarily every year waiting for transplants.

"We know that if everyone who supported donation talked about it and agreed to donate, most of those lives would be saved.

"This Organ Donation Week tell your family you want to save lives. A few words now can make an extraordinary difference. It will also make things much easier for your family to make the right decision.

For more information visit: