DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release (2007/0091) issued by The Government News Network on 19
April 2007
Every hospital
patient should have their own risk assessment for VTE that will
improve patient safety and help save thousands of lives each year,
says an expert working group whose report was launched by the
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) today.
Venousthromboembolism (VTE) is a set of complications that
includes blood clots in veins that can break off. In England
around 25,000 people a year die from VTE in hospitals alone.
The CMO asked an expert group to look at VTE in hospitalised
patients and how VTE could be prevented to save lives. The Group
has now reported with its recommendations.
Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer said:
"VTE has been seen as a Cinderella issue for too long. This
report enables clinicians to make the best choices for their
patients and to ensure that we make real progress in saving
thousands of lives every year".
It is clear from the expert group's report that introducing
a VTE risk assessment for all patients on admission has the
potential to save thousands of lives every year. We have
therefore established an implementation working group which will
develop a national risk assessment tool, and will also provide
leadership both within the NHS and the wider healthcare sector in
order to assess what needs to be done to ensure that a VTE risk
assessment of every patient on admission to hospital becomes a reality.
VTE is an international problem. This country is a pioneer in
this area and can also provide leadership to other nations on this matter.
Lord Hunt said:
"Patient safety is my top priority. I have asked the
implementation group to report back to me regularly on their
progress in this vital work. We must do everything we can to
ensure that patients are not placed at unnecessary risk from VTE."
ENDS
Notes to Editors
1. For enquiries please contact 020 7210 4850.
2. VTE comprised deep vein thrombosis (DVT) pulmonary embolus
(PE), the related sequelae of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) and
pulmonary hypertension (PH).
3. Sir Muir Gray, Director of the National Library for Health,
says the tool will be developed and made available as part of the
NHS Choices Programme. The tool would be the VTE risk assessment
recommended by the expert group, and which would be developed by
the implementation working group.