Chamber and committees

Information regarding the implementation of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network national clinical guideline on the prevention and management of venous thromboembolism is not held centrally.

Cystic fibrosis is a complex condition that affects people in different ways. As such, the Scottish Government believes that people with cystic fibrosis should be cared for by a team of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals with specialised knowledge providing professional skills, care and support to this group of patients and their families. This will include the development of a care plan unique to the individual’s needs.

Additionally, we want to ensure that everyone who requires care, including those with cystic fibrosis, has access to the highest standards of such in every setting, whether that be in an NHS facility, a care home, or their own home. That is why we are integrating health and social care to provide a more responsive and joined-up service for all those who require it.

The most recent guidance available to boards is contained in Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guide 122 which was issued via Healthcare Improvement Scotland in 2010 with minor updates in November 2011 and October 2014. Awareness of the guideline was raised at publication through a media release. SIGN takes a proactive role in supporting the implementation of its guidelines and in improving the implementability of its recommendations. SIGN’s implementation activities include improved processes for dissemination, awareness raising and education, networking and a range of implementation support resources.

In addition, improved delivery of evidence based care in the prevention and of venous thromboembolism (VTE) was included as one of the nine points of care in the acute adult Scottish Patient Safety Programme which was launched in 2008 as part of a specific improvement collaborative for sepsis/VTE. It is acknowledged that the sepsis/VTE collaborative supported significant improvement in awareness and activity and some demonstrable improvements in care. Following evaluation of the collaborative in 2015, it was acknowledged that there was still work to be taken forward to fully achieve its aims. To address this, the Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP) is developing alternative approaches to supporting the reliable delivery of risk assessment and thromboprophylaxis to patients admitted to acute hospitals in Scotland

Healthcare Improvement Scotland is funding a full time improvement advisor (band 7) to work within NHS Borders to provide improvement support to:

Explore existing VTE processes to diagnose the systems and factors impeding reliable delivery of risk assessment and thromboprophylaxis

Test approaches to overcome these barriers.

Develop a revised approach as a resource for NHS Scotland.

We expect boards to ensure that prevention and management of venous thromboembolism in their board follows all current relevant professional and clinical guidance and take appropriate action to ensure that this practice remains up-to-date.