New Start was originally set up in 1986 under the name 'New Heart New Start' to fund up to 50 heart transplants at Wythenshawe Hospital, prior to the hospital trust receiving money from the NHS for the transplantation programme. The name of the charity changed to 'New Start' when the Transplant Unit began performing lung transplants in addition to heart transplants. The Jim Quick ward was named after a courageous patient who pioneered the charity.
New Start supports the NHS funding of the transplantation programme for heart and lung transplants at Wythenshawe Hospital, in providing funds for services and products that the NHS cannot meet due to the strict NHS budgets.
New Start relies on donations and fundraising to provide support to patients and their families who attend the regional specialist Transplant Unit, with patients living across the north-west of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland. The charity provides funding for medical advances in transplantation that cannot be funded through the NHS, and endeavours to support patients to live life with a heart and/or lung transplant or Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) to their fullest.