Every year, an estimated 20,000 people in the UK would die from a thrombosis contracted in hospital (hospital acquired thrombosis) if thrombosis prevention is not given.

Through promoting awareness to both public and health care professionals Thrombosis UK aims for a clearer understanding of the risk of thrombosis throughout the UK with appropriate VTE assessments being carried out and where possible prevention of thrombosis rather than management.

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Deep vein thrombosis can affect anyone, although it is more likely to occur in smokers, overweight people, or those over 60. It is a painful condition that, when left untreated, can be dangerous. With quick treatment, DVT can be managed. Click the link below to learn the causes of deep vein thrombosis and what warning signs you should look out for.



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Thrombosis UK are very concerned to learn that the Scottish clinical guidance for VTE – SIGN Guidance 122, first published 2010 and then updated in 2014, may be withdrawn in 2020 as part of the routine procedure to withdraw guidelines 10 years in the expectation that practice set out in the guidance has been routinely and effectively embedded in clinical practice.
 
However, incidence of VTE across Scotland indicate that far from reducing VTE events have increased and routine risk assessment to identify high risk patients is ad hoc, leaving many Scottish patients at risk and suffering preventable thrombotic events.  
Furthermore, education and awareness are general low, resulting in delayed and missed diagnosis that can too often cause complex problems or tragic deaths that may have been prevented if diagnosed promptly.
 
Thrombosis UK have written to the Scottish Health and Sports Cabinet Minister, Shona Robison MSP, and NHS Scotland Leads: Dr Catherine Calderwood, CMO, Joanne Matthews, NHS Scotland Health Improvement and Roberta James, SIGN Programme Lead, urging for reconsideration, and rather than withdraw, update the guidance to reflect new and important clinical evidence in the prevention, diagnosis and management of blood clots. 

We invite all Scottish supporters to contact NHS Scotland asking for their support in reviewing and updating SIGN Guidance 122 (VTE), in light of new clinical evidence and support the full implementation routine VTE risk assessment in all Scottish hospitals and subsequent appropriate management of VTE to reduce risk and suffering for the many thousands of Scottish patients who are at risk or have suffered as a result of a blood clot.  

You may find this sample letter of assistance:

Review of SIGN Guidance 122 Template letter


Key Facts for Scotland:

Incidence of VTE admission:

Year
Number of hospital stays with VTE diagnosisIncidence rate of VTE diagnosis per 10,000 hospital stays
Source: ISD Scotland SMRO1 dataset as at 13th April 2017
Ref: 2017-00544
20148,27967.7
20158,43768.8
20168,43869.0


Cost to NHS Scotland 

VTE shows costs to treat VTE between 2014 – 2016 exceeded £97,011,902.

The most current figures indicate NHS Scotland spent more than £36m in 2016 to treat VTE.

(Cost data collected from Freedom of Information Request to all Health Boards, 2017)