Health officials have stated thousands of lives could be saved every year after new plans were announced to check each patient admitted to hospital for potential blood clots.

Guidance published by The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) states that around 25,000 people are killed by blood clots each year and that screening every person could save around 10,000 lives.

Chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson stated back in 2008 that all people admitted to hospital should be screened.

Ministers have now said that trusts must act on these guidelines to avoid the risk of penalty.

New actions announced on Wednesday include giving patients blood-thinning drugs known as heparin, using pumps and giving people compression stockings to wear.

Primary Care Trusts could also penalise hospitals part of their budgets if they fail to screen around 90 per cent of patients under the new measures.

Around 1.5 per cent of a hospitals tariff budget could be lost through the new Department of Health instruction from April 1st.

Commenting, Sir Liam Donaldson, said: "The Department of Health is prioritising the prevention of venous thromboembolism across the NHS.

"I welcome this clear advice from NICE and would expect hospitals to implement it. It aims to save lives and reduce risks for patients."

Blood clots usually occur in veins of the legs, know as deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
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