A CAMPAIGN to tackle potentially fatal blood clots at Ipswich Hospital has been hailed a success today.

A CAMPAIGN to tackle potentially fatal blood clots at Ipswich Hospital has been hailed a success today.

Stop the Clot was launched in February by the charity AntiCoagulation Europe in a bid to stop the needless deaths from hospital-acquired blood clots in Suffolk.

MPs, hospitals and celebrities from across the region endorsed Stop the Clot, which experts say could save up to 370 lives in Suffolk a year.

Blood clots are the largest cause of in-hospital preventable deaths but the risk can be reduced by ensuring all patients admitted to hospital undergo a simple blood clot risk assessment.

Isobel Chalmers, haematology consultant at Ipswich Hospital, said: “We are pleased to be a part of Stop the Clot, an essential, life-saving campaign that has made a major impact at Ipswich Hospital.

“We are maximising our efforts to ensure that patients are given the best care possible and this includes establishing a simple protocol and providing patients with Stop the Clot information booklets and encouraging discussion with their doctor or nurse.”

Eve Knight, chief executive of AntiCoagulation Europe added: “Everyone is at risk of becoming a blood clot statistic.

“Make sure you ask for a simple risk assessment when you or a loved one goes into hospital - it could save a life.”

To find out more information visit the Stop the Clot website www.stoptheclot.com or call 0800 694 6444.

Have you developed a blood clot in hospital? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.