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Press releases
Lifeblood: The Thrombosis Charity welcomes
new Department of Health VTE website
Release date: 12 December 2005
Lifeblood: The Thrombosis Charity welcomes the launch of a new government website on venous thromboembolism (VTE). The VTE site was launched by the Department of Health at the end of last week bringing together, for the first time, all its VTE resources in one place. The new website covers the work of the Government, the Health Select Committee and other Governmental and non-Governmental bodies in the fight against VTE.
Until this website was launched if the public wanted to know more about the Government's views on thrombosis, how it was tackling VTE or what it thought about DVT, they had to trawl hundreds of pages to find this out.
The website also gives information about the work of the Department of Health's Independent Expert Panel that has been tasked with looking into how the recommendations of the Health Select Committee can be implemented. Lifeblood is represented on this body as the charity that represents patients and sufferers of VTE and DVT. This is the first time that the composition and work of this group has been put online and represents an important step forward in making this group's work transparent and open to scrutiny.
Speaking just after the launch of the new site Lifeblood's medical director, Dr Beverley Hunt, said:
"This is a welcome improvement in the Government's approach towards VTE. In the past year the Government has recognised, for the first time, that VTE kills an estimated 25,000 people a year in our nation's hospitals, has established an independent group to look into how to prevent these deaths and has now given the public access to its resources on an easy to use website.
These are all major steps forward that Lifeblood: The Thrombosis Charity welcomes. The real challenge for the Government though is to put in place measures, with the support of the medical community and patients, to prevent VTE in hospitals. Lifeblood is committed to seeing the full implementation of the Health Select Committee's recommendations and will be continuing to campaign for this."
To access the Department of Health's new VTE site click
here
ENDS
Explanatory terms:
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) – development of a blood clot (thrombus) in
the leg.
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) – a term that encompasses deep vein thrombosis
and pulmonary embolism.
Media contact
Further information from Jacqui Marr on 01406
381017 or email information@thrombosis-charity.org.uk
Copyright
© Lifeblood: The Thrombosis Charity 2003-2006. A
company limited by guarantee. Registered Company No: 4354472.
Registered Charity No: 1090540
