VTE can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, race or ethnicity

Did you know…

  • In the UK and worldwide, VTE is a leading cause of death and disability
  • Up to 20% of cancer patients develop blood clots
  • Globally up to 60% of blood clots occur within 90 days of hospital discharge

Up to 60% of all VTEs are hospital-associated

On Nov 7 2023, NHS Resolution’s Safety and Learning team, hosted a virtual forum on learning from venous with guest speakers:

Prof Beve3rley Hunt OBE, Dr Matthew Fay, Prof Roopen Arya and Ellen Nicholson.

View the full session here (LINK…https://resolution.nhs.uk/resources/learning-from-venous-thromboembolism-vte-claims-in-primary-care-webinar/

VTE Risk Assessment in all English hospitals. After much campaigning, risk assessment was mandated and adverse VTE events have fallen.

In the latest NHS England data released this week the national VTE prevention programme in England shows a benefit of systematic VTE prevention driven by mandatory risk assessment.

The NHS Digital national VTE indicator shows a >20% reduction in adverse outcomes!

Avoidable events are being prevented and lives are being saved - this approach requires worldwide adoption. #PreventProtectInform

Taking proactive steps to mandate VTE best practice locally could help to reduce this burden, however most health service providers appear to be unaware of what VTE is costing locally.

NHS England

Full VTE-related costs to the NHS are difficult to extract and can go undocumented, but in the APPG for Thrombosis, annual report 2016/17, a survey of English CCGs asked what their recorded costs for VTE treatment, hospital bed days, sanctions and litigation, for 2016/17.

Of the 22% of CCGs providing figures, the average annual cost for 2016/17 was £938,357 per CCG
(range spread from £63,358 South Lincolnshire to £7million in the Cambridge and Peterborough CCG area)

NHS Scotland

In Scotland, a 2018 freedom of information (FOI) in 2018 evidenced that between 2008 - 2017: 75,846 people were admitted to hospital for VTE in Scotland between 2008-2017

Over the same period, admissions with a diagnosis of VTE rose from 6,624 to 8,371

13,961 people died from a VTE episode in Scotland between 2008-2017

The number of patients dying of VTE in Scotland had increased by 1/3 between 2008-2017

70% of NHS Health Boards recorded more VTE-related deaths in 2017 than 2008

70% NHS Health Boards recorded increased VTE incidence in (2017 – 2008)

The cost of DVT and PE to NHS Scotland:

  • £99.9 million - the estimated cost to NHS Scotland for hospital admissions where the initial reason for admission was a DVT or a PE (2011 -2018)
  • £14.5 million - the estimated cost to NHS Scotland for hospital admissions where the initial reason for admission was a DVT or a PE (2017/18)

Ref: FOI Dec 2018 National Services Scotland (Information Services Division)

2019 NCEPOD Report

Download Report

Cost-Utility Analysis of Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis Strategies for People Undergoing Elective Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement Surgeries in the English National Health Service

Download Report

Venous Thromboembolism NHS cost 2016

Download Leaflet

NHS Resolutions documented 687 closed claims relating to Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) injuries

From 1 April 2012 until 31 March 2022, NHS Resolutions documented 687 closed claims relating to Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) injuries. This digital resource details how clinicians take preventative action to improve outcomes for patients at risk of VTE.

Download Leaflet

Deaths from VTE within 90 days of post discharge from hospital NHS Outcomes Framework Indicators – Aug 2019 release NHS Digital