A Hereford nurse has been given a special award in recognition of her work to combat the UK's biggest hospital killer.

Maggie Jennings received an 'ambassador certificate' from thrombosis charity Lifeblood for a raft of measures she introduced to try and raise awareness about the risk of developing blood clots in hospital.

Ms Jennings has championed blood clot prevention at the hospital. She has promoted its importance to staff, supported national thrombosis week within the hospital, helped to produce a leaflet explaining blood clot prevention to patients and set up a forum for professional staff to raise awareness of thrombosis in the local community.

She received her award at the inaugural Lifeblood Thrombosis Prevention awards ceremony held in Parliament on 11 January. The Awards recognise exceptional work to prevent thrombosis by organisations and individuals across the NHS.

The awards – which are the first of their kind in the UK – were established to demonstrate the importance of clinical leadership to combat the hospital killer that accounts for up to 25,000 avoidable deaths every year in the UK. 

Certain people are more likely to develop a blood clot than others. Older people, particularly if immobile and undergoing surgery, are more at risk. Anyone going into hospital for treatment is also at greater risk of developing a clot.  All patients admitted to Hereford Hospitals are assessed to ascertain their risk of acquiring a clot and treatment is offered where appropriate.

Staying as mobile as possible helps to prevent the development of blood clots. The GP can also advise people about the lifestyle changes they need to make to decrease the risk of acquiring a clot.

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