Preventing Blood Clots
Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis service
In 2008/09 the Trust was recognised as an "exemplar centre" following an assessment by the Chief Medical Officer's VTE Implementation Working Group for our work to protect patients from potentially fatal hospital acquired blood clots. We became only the fifth NHS hospital trust to achieve this accreditation. Among the measures the Trust has taken to support the VTE service are:
- development of a protocol in conjunction with consultants and pharmacy staff in line with NICE guidance and the requirements of the Chief Medical Officer;
- introduction of an e-learning tool for doctors and nurses who treat inpatients at risk of acquiring blood clots;
- development of what was believed to have been the first online risk assessment tool in the NHS to identify patients at risk of VTE, which also offers guidance on the steps that should be taken to minimise it;
- the use of the Trust's Clinical Audit Department to evaluate and report on the work to prevent clots.
