THE Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals is one of only 24 trusts to have assessed over 90% of all patients admitted for Venous Thromboembolism (VTE).

Recent figures, released by the Department of Health, showed that over 90% of admissions to the Foundation Trust in August 2010 were deemed to have been assessed for VTE.

Out of the 164 trusts who report these figures, only 24 of these trusts achieved 90% or above. The Foundation Trust scored 5th in the country when compared with other trust’s throughout the UK who have similar admission levels. Each year 25,000 people in the UK die from hospital acquired thrombosis, a condition in which a blood clot forms in a deep vein, limiting blood flow. However, it is estimated that up to 70% of VTE deaths are preventable with appropriate risk assessment and preventative measures.

The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals are committed to ensuring that all patients are assessed for the risk of blood clots while in hospital. In pre-assessment or on admission, a doctor or nurse assesses a patient’s risk of developing blood clots and decides whether any treatment is needed to help prevent blood clots forming. Dr Mary Armitage, Medical Director, commented: “This is fantastic news. The Trust has been leading the way in screening patients on admission to hospital for VTE and is pleased that our work has been recognised nationally.

“Thanks to the commitment and hard work of our staff, the latest September figures show that we have built on our success in August, with over 91.5% of patients deemed to have been assessed for VTE. We are now striving to increase this figure to 100%.”