A YEAR after Sally Slater received a new heart, relieved transplant co-ordinators have said the Alder Hey organs scandal does not appear to have affected the number of donated organs.

Exactly 12 months have elapsed since the six-year-old from Kirkby Malham, North Yorkshire, was given a new lease of life by surgeons at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

There were fears that adverse publicity about the unauthorised retention of children's body parts at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool would affect transplant totals.

But in line with national figures, which have seen the number of potential donors signing up to the Government register jump by 80,656 during February, compared with the usual monthly figure of 15,000, the Freeman has seen no reduction in offers of organs.

Pam Buckley, a senior transplant coordinator at the Freeman Hospital, said: "There has been no backlash from the problems at Alder Hey. Our donation rate has been as strong as ever before."

But Sally's mother, Bridget, stressed that there was no room for complacency.

"It is a very difficult decision to sign the forms and there are few days which go by when we don't think with fondness of the family which had to lose a loved one to help Sally.

"Since her operation - her first swim, her first day back at Brownies and so many other events have had special significance, as they have reminded us there were things we once worried she would never be able to do. It takes real courage to become a donor; it is one of the bravest things anyone can do," she said.

While the situation for patients needing kidneys and livers is relatively bright, the outlook for those needing heart or lung transplants is not so good - due largely to the steady decline in fatal road accidents.

The other problem is that hearts and lungs are routinely donated by older people which are often diseased and unsuitable for transplantation.

So far this year, the Freeman's surgical teams have carried out nine heart or lung transplants, down on the same period last year.

On average, the Freeman has 100 patients waiting for heart or lung transplants. Currently the figure is 135, which is an all-time high.

Read more about organ donation here.