August 2018 - Half year review

Wow! Thrombosis UK has just had a half year review and amazed the team at the multiple activities and involvements the charity has been working on during 2018… and continues with!

So, we decided we not only wanted to highlight and share these but also to THANK all supporters who help make this possible through your dedication, time, encouragement, help, donations and fundraising.

Many regular work streams continue everyday – from the Thrombosis UK HelpLine and email support to preparation for the update in GDPR and the development of the new data base.

However, since January 2018, your support has enabled us to also deliver...

‘Let’s Talk Clots’ National Thrombosis conferences… 24 days in May

A total of ten conferences were held with four being specifically for patients and carers and six for HCPs, with two new locations joining – Manchester and Bristol.
CPD accreditation was secured for all HCP events and in excess of 550 delegates attended across the venues with over 80 speakers supporting the packed agendas!

In June Thrombosis UK published a new patient fact sheet:
Thrombosis and women: periods, the contraceptive pill and hormone replacement therapy

With a second fact sheet supporting hospital admission, management and discharge, due shortly.

In July Thrombosis UK exhibited at the International Society of Thrombosis & Haemostasis Congress in Dublin

Fly sheets summarising our mission, work and activities were developed and shared with delegates visiting our stand along with examples of resources sharing global messages to help raise awareness, extend understanding, support prevention and management of VTE. These proved so popular that by the last day stocks were exhausted!

The event also provided opportunity to meet with WTD leads, Thrombosis Canada and Thrombosis Ireland as well as have informal discussions with fellow exhibitors interested in the possibility of supporting the charity’s work either via shared links or possibly sponsorship of future educational meetings.

The overriding interest from HCP attendees to the stand was ‘how can we set one up in our country’. Watch this space…. The Thrombosis UK tool kit is in design!

July also saw the launch of the Thrombosis UK VTE Master’s Degree Grant

If you know healthcare professional or allied professional seeking to undertake a Master’s Degree with research linked to VTE… please let them know of the T’UK Grant! http://thrombosisuk.org/grant-...

Throughout 2018 VTE risk assessment by hospitals and root cause analysis has caused great concern for patient safety, with recorded risk assessment rates dropping in several regions. This is a priority area for Thrombosis UK and we are working closely with VTE leads to review data and seek opportunities to redress this.

Welcome August and #StepUpToStopClots http://thrombosisuk.org/stepuptostopclots
Newly launched, the #StepUpToStopClots, fundraising and awareness campaign is already reaching out through interactive social media, blogs and the full Thrombosis UK team committed and joining in to:

  1. Extend awareness of the importance of being active to reduce risk of thrombosis
  2. Provide fundraising and donation opportunities to continue the work of this amazing charity in working to preventing VTE, improve management of thrombosis and save lives

Later in August Shaun Kinghorn, Thrombosis UK Trustee and VTE patient will be joining #StepUpToStopClots and running the Gateshead 10K trail – Go Shaun!!

Read Shaun’s account: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/shaun-kinghorn

With just months to go we are now working hard to grow our World Thrombosis Day activities!!

It is looking to be a bumper WTD for Thrombosis UK.

  • As partners in the Anticoagulation Achievement Awards, (http://www.anticoagulationawards.org/ ) we will be helping to run and host the award ceremony which is part of the celebration for WTD on Wednesday 10th October in Houses of Parliament
  • We are in close contact with the global World Thrombosis Day team to support UK media activity being planned for October
  • In collaboration with NHS Hospital Trusts we are holding four half day educational symposia specifically for early career healthcare professionals and Year 3-5 medical students
    http://thrombosisuk.org/findevent/

Venues confirmed to date:
4th October
– St Thomas’s Hospital, London
8th October
– University Bristol NHS Trust and Care UK
11th October
– University Hospitals NHS Trust Birmingham (QE) and Birmingham Medical School
TBC
- University Hospital, Manchester

What a half year!

Please do keep sharing, supporting and raising awareness of thrombosis – your help really does enable us to make a difference.

Jo Jerrome
The author

Jo Jerrome

Cheif Executive Officer

In April 2016 Jo was thrilled and honoured to be invited to become CEO of Thrombosis UK. A teacher for many years, Jo became involved in patient advocacy following her young daughter's diagnosis of a long-term condition.

Currently Jo sits as a Lay representative on NICE Indicators, West of England AHSN Patient Safety committee, and on research and project development groups.