Andrea Croft, Trustee of Thrombosis UK, wins the Judges Award at the recent prestigious Anticoagulation Achievement Awards

Andrea Croft, Anticoagulation Lead Advanced Practitioner at the Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend, and Trustee of Thrombosis UK, was delighted to be awarded winner of The Judges Award at the recent prestigious Anticoagulation Achievement Awards

Hosted by Lyn Brown MP in the Terrace Pavilion, House of Commons on Wednesday October 10th 2018. The award recognized the outstanding work of Andrea Croft who had demonstrated exceptional drive and leadership in establishing an exemplar anticoagulation service.

In making the award, the Judges have reviewed data measures along with personal endorsements on the measured and real difference that Andrea has made to patient safety, experience and outcomes through service provision.

It was clear that Andrea also demonstrated innovation and shared learning to extend understanding and knowledge across multiple healthcare professional teams both locally, nationally and globally.

Consideration was also given to evidence of personalised care that each patient has received as a result of this exceptional healthcare professional, and undertaking to ensure all patients, whether at risk of venous thromboembolism or having been diagnosed with a thrombotic event, are provided with sufficient information tailored to their needs, and opportunity to discuss and raise questions to support their well-being alongside physical recovery.

This is a truly remarkable professional who ensures patients entering this service can be confident that their safety and care is best served by the leadership demonstrated to maintain VTE exemplary standards

As Lyn Brown MP commented, “This is a truly remarkable professional who ensures patients entering this service can be confident that their safety and care is best served by the leadership demonstrated to maintain VTE exemplary standards.”

Held as part of the celebrations for World Thrombosis Day – a global movement to reduce the leading cause of preventable cardiovascular death, Andrea was praised for the exemplary service she has developed and now runs.

1 in 4 people worldwide die of conditions caused by blood clots, also known by the medical term thrombosis

1 in 4 people worldwide die of conditions caused by blood clots, also known by the medical term “thrombosis”– the underlying cause of the world’s top three cardiovascular killers: heart attack, stroke and venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Blood clots (thrombosis) can form in any part of the body but are most common in the legs. This is known as a ‘DVT’ (deep vein thrombosis), and parts of the clot can break off and travel to the lungs to cause a pulmonary embolism (PE), the heart, to cause a heart attack or the brain, and lead to a stroke. Blood clots are serious an often life threatening.

In March 2019, Andrea travelled with Public health Wales to the Improvements in Healthcare (IHI) Conference in Glasgow to present a poster demonstrating the Impact of an All Wales Hospital Acquired Thrombosis (HAT) Steering Group. This work supported by the Welsh Assembly Government to reduce the incidence of HAT in Wales commenced in all Welsh Health Boards in 2015.

The effect of the changes each Health Board has made has been impressive in terms of the increase in venous thromboembolism (VTE) Risk Assessment uptake and a down turn in the number of potentially preventable HAT identified in all hospitalised patients. Presenting a poster representing this important work is particularly significant as it places Wales as a nation on the world map as a small country leading the way in thrombosis prevention.

Andrea will also travel to the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) Conference in Melbourne, Australia in July to present her Thrombosis work.

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  • Tags: Thrombosis, VTE, AAA, Anticoagulation, Awards