Pharma-NHS Partnership Working Helps Hit Clot Targets

LEO Pharmaceuticals is proud to acknowledge that its recent partnership working with The Countess of Chester Hospital has helped yield impressive results in thrombosis. The hospital has now achieved the national target of assessing more than 90% of its patients for their risk of blood clots.  This includes Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE); a blood clot that has travelled to the lung.

Back in January 2010, the Countess of Chester Hospital was chosen to be the first, and only, Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Exemplar Centre in the North West of England, after assessment by the Parliamentary Thrombosis Implementation Working Group. Maintaining this Exemplar status and enviable DVT prevention and treatment record became a real challenge for ‘The Countess’. Mr Sameh Dimitri, Chair of the Thrombosis Group, and Consultant and Lead Vascular Surgeon explained the need for a designated VTE nurse to undertake the clot risk assessments.  Gus Sagoo, NHS Partnership Development Manager at LEO Pharma, supported the hospital so that this nurse could be employed.

The hospital, as part of its ‘Stop the Clot’ initiative, now aims to assess all adult inpatients and day cases for their risk of developing DVT and PE. This ensures they receive the correct treatment and preventative measures, and are provided with information about DVT and PE.  Gus Sagoo explained, “With an alarming 25,000 people dying each year from hospital acquired VTE, (more than from breast cancer, AIDS and road traffic accidents put together) the need for initiatives like ‘Stop the Clot’ is resounding. I’m glad that we have been able to support The Countess of Chester Hospital with carrying out these thrombosis risk assessments. It’s important for pharmaceutical companies like LEO Pharma to ‘put something back’ into the public sector and support the NHS with vital health initiatives such as this.”

Mr Dimitri added: “VTE Exemplar status is about having the right tools in place so that each patient can be properly assessed and then the right preventative measures or correct drug dosages administered.  It is the role of the VTE nurse to pull all these factors together.  We are most grateful for the support that LEO Pharmaceuticals has given us”.

ENDS

For more information about working in partnership with LEO Pharma, please contact:

Gus Sagoo, NHS Partnership Development Manager.

Tel: 07500 944901                       Email: gus.sagoo@leo-pharma.com