Dedicated nurse wins 'Unsung Hero' award at the Houses of Parliament
An experienced nurse who has dedicated two decades of her career to treating patients with thrombosis has won a prestigious UK-wide award.
Marilyn Rees, a Venous Thrombosis Nurse Specialist with Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, was given the Healthcare Practitioner - Unsung Hero award at the VTE Awards at the Houses of Parliament in London.
She was praised for her tremendous work and dedication to patients with VTE (venous thromboembolism), a condition that occurs when a blood clot forms in a vein and travels through the bloodstream to the lungs.
Part of Marilyn’s work has included raising awareness around VTE, including prevention, management, advocacy and patient education and support.
Marilyn developed her extensive knowledge on blood clots and how to protect patients while working as a Nursing Sister, which then lead to her becoming one of the founding members of the Thrombosis and Anticoagulation Committee.
She pioneered the development of the nurse-led DVT Clinic, bringing the treatment and diagnosis of DVT together in one place, leading to change and innovation in both, and a much better and more consistent service to patients.
Marilyn was nominated for the accolade by numerous colleagues in the thrombosis team for her dedication to her role over the last 20 years. However, her career has spanned a total of 40 years and has seen her take NHS roles in unscheduled care, orthopaedics and intensive care.
The All Wales Hospital Acquired Thrombosis (HAT) Steering Group - of which Marilyn was a founder member - also received a highly commended award for an excellent quality improvement programme advancing thrombosis prevention.
The group works alongside the Welsh Government, and more recently the Welsh Risk Group, to improve understanding, prevention and recognition of HAT, developing an all-Wales Thromboprophylaxis policy, collating all Wales HAT data and developing ESR training tools for staff.
The annual VTE Awards were hosted by Lyn Brown MP and the charity Thrombosis UK on 29 November, 2023. They are a chance to celebrate the outstanding work being done to help prevent and work with VTE.
Healthcare teams and individual specialist nurses were invited from across the UK, celebrating effective implementation of VTE prevention and management leading to improved patient safety, experience and outcomes.
The Let’s Talk Clots app was launched at the awards, which was described as an excellent resource developed for patients with thrombosis through their continual feedback. It offers a wealth of information and support, answering any patient questions.