Annotation: Developing a national programme for VTE prevention

The National Venous Thromboembolism Prevention Programme was launched in England, in 2010. Its central objective was to reduce morbidity and mortality from preventable deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism through introduction of a comprehensive systematic approach. The cornerstone of the programme was the introduction of mandatory documented risk assessment for venous thromboembolism, supported by national thromboprophylaxis guidance. Despite widespread uptake of risk assessment, measuring the impact of the national programme on outcomes has proved challenging. The aim of this paper is to review the implementation and outcomes of the national programme.