Programme to prevent blood clots is recognised at charity awards

A programme that has been put into place at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) to prevent patients developing blood clots is one of three finalists in the VTE Awards 2012, Obstetrics category. The award is run by Lifeblood: The Thrombosis Charity reward innovation in Venous Thrombo-Embolism (VTE) prevention in the NHS across seven categories.

The Thrombosis and Thromboprophylaxis team at NNUH entered their programme into the awards in the ‘Best Obstetrics VTE Prevention Programme’ category to recognise the good results that have been achieved for pregnant women and new mothers attending the Obstetrics department. The team has been working across the Trust to prevent all patients admitted to hospital from developing blood clots. The prevention programme has centred on awareness and education amongst staff and patients and additional training.

There is a higher risk of developing blood clots in pregnancy and after birth. In the Obstetrics department all pregnant women are given a risk assessment and those identified as at risk can then be given suitable medicine to prevent a blood clot forming. The year before the risk assessment was introduced eight pregnant women or new mothers developed blood clots whilst in hospital or shortly after discharge; that figure has now been reduced to around two a year.

The panel of judges felt that the programme demonstrated an exceptional level of leadership and innovation, and that the strategy’s wider adoption throughout the NHS could lead to significant improvements in VTE prevention nationwide.

Nicola Korn, Specialist Pharmacist in Anticoagulation, said: “This award recognises that what we are doing is working and that we are preventing blood clots in a vulnerable group of patients. We have a brilliant team of midwives and so coming third in the awards is a testament to them too, for all their hard work and support. It’s great that through these awards we’ve been able to share best practice in blood clot prevention with our colleagues across the NHS.”