IT is impossible to under-estimate the devastating impact the organ retention scandal at Alder Hey Hospital had on transplant surgery in Britain.

Thankfully, there are signs of a restoration of the public's faith in the medical profession over this particularly sensitive issue.

For the first time in six years the number of transplants has increased. During the past 12 months 2,777 people have had their lives saved or improved because of donated organs.

However, the fact that 368 people died while they were on the waiting list for transplant surgery demonstrates how much more improvement in the system still has to be made.

Today, about 18 per cent of the British population have their names on the NHS Organ Donor Register. That is an incredibly high number considering the reluctance of the authorities to promote the existence of the register because of the sensitivities it involves. To improve this statistic we need to draw more attention to the life-saving success stories such as Sally Slater than to the renegade situations such as Alder Hey.

We have to question, however, whether a register of names of potential donors will ever reflect the number of people who would be prepared on their deaths to donate their organs for transplant.

Relying on people to "opt in" may be the least intrusive course of action to take, but it is not the most efficient.

The assumption that those who choose not "opt out" of the register are willing to donate their organs will undoubtedly enable more transplant operations to take place and save many more lives.

The need for a serious examination of our regulations governing organ transplant is self-evident.

Vital Subject

THERE is something to be said for reforming the examination system in our schools.

However, some things are sacrosanct. Maths remains a cornerstone of education and should remain a compulsory subject at GCSE.

It is a subject which touches on many others, and has an indisputable relevance to daily life whatever career path a child may choose to follow. But we must ensure that the teaching of maths, like all subjects, progresses with the times to ensure it retains its relevance.