Oxford University Hospitals gets validated as a VTE Exemplar Centre for the third consecutive time

The Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) prevention team at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) have been revalidated as a VTE Exemplar Centre for a third consecutive time. 

The accreditation was done by the VTE Exemplar Centres Network which forms a diverse and enlightened network of hospitals that have an existing track record of excellence in VTE prevention and care. This means that OUH has been peer reviewed in several areas around the delivery of Exemplar VTE prevention care and found to provide excellent patient care and leadership.

VTE stands for Venous Thromboembolism – which describes a clot in one of the deep veins of the body. The two main sites in the body for a VTE to develop are the deep leg veins (DVT – deep vein thrombosis) and the lung – as a pulmonary embolus (PE). VTE can develop in other areas of the body as well. 

The most common reason for a VTE to develop is following or during a hospital admission – up to 60% of all VTE in the UK are associated with hospital admissions, and it is important to provide exemplary VTE prevention measures to reduce the risk of avoidable harm to patients. 

At OUH, the VTE prevention nursing team are a group of specialist nurses who work collaboratively with the clinical teams to optimise the safety of all in-patients aged 16 and over.

The Nursing Team lead on implementing the OUH VTE Prevention Programme which includes supporting the clinical teams, co-ordinating the multi-disciplinary VTE Prevention education programme and working closely with the Patient Safety Team to reduce avoidable harm and improve patient outcomes.

The team have also been awarded with a special commendation in recognition of their outstanding work, having demonstrated exceptional quality, innovation, and leadership.

Paula Gardner, Interim Chief Nursing Officer, Oxford University Hospitals, said: "I am proud of the great work the VTE prevention team do for all our patients, and I congratulate them on this very well-deserved special commendation."

Penney Clarke, Senior VTE Prevention Nurse, Oxford University Hospitals, said: "This award is a recognition of the incredible commitment, professionalism that Charlotte Matejtschuk, Sarah Havord, and Angelin Jebamani continuously demonstrate to provide our patients with a positive and safe patient experience during their stay with us. 

"As a Team, we would like to thank the clinical teams in achieving this special commendation, for their dedication and hard work in keeping patients safe. The high standards that we strive for would not be possible without them."