Press release - 15 October 2007

GPs in the West of the city are piloting a new way of assessing whether a patient is at risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

A patient whose doctor suspects they may have DVT will now be asked a series of questions and given a blood test which will detect whether a patient is more or less likely to have DVT and should be sent for further tests at the hospital. Traditionally, patients have had to travel to the Royal Sussex County Hospital for tests before DVT can be ruled out.

In Brighton and Hove, it is estimated that around 800 patients go to the hospital every year with suspected DVT - only about 30% of these are actual cases.

The same test has been used in East Sussex Downs and Weald and resulted in a 35% reduction of patients sent to hospital for investigation.

Paul Evans, General Practitioner at Wish Park Surgery said:

“This is an exciting pilot, which will mean patients are seen in a far more convenient setting for their test. It’s a good example of the type of service that can be provided in the community, which saves patients the time and trouble of travelling to hospital and means they are treated in a more relaxed setting. "