Manx Care’s Anticoagulation Clinic has, once again, been rated one of the best in the British Isles.

The twice-yearly report conducted by specialist software provider to the industry, DAWN AC, has benchmarked the island against 80 UK sites who provide a similar service, many of which are large NHS Trust Foundations.

Anticoagulants are blood clot-preventing medicines and patients who will benefit from them are referred for treatment.

The effectiveness of these treatments is assessed by clinical criteria TTR or Time in Therapeutic Range.

This is a well-recognised quality measure that indicates the stability of the anticoagulant drug and is a key marker of a patient’s treatment.

A Manx Care spokesperson said: ‘The nurse-led anticoagulation clinic works with patients who need careful management and monitoring of these specialist medications.

‘The main drug that needs this careful monitoring is Warfarin. It is complex and has a narrow therapeutic index, which means that it only works for short periods of time before the drug is out of range for the patient’s clinical need.

‘If the level is too high, there is a risk of bleeding, if the level is too low, there is a risk of clotting, so it is essential for these patients that they have access to regular clinics.’

Oliver Radford, executive director of the island’s health services added: ‘I’d like to congratulate the team for the results shown in the report.

‘It’s fantastic to have data that confirms we are keeping people safe and performing well in comparison to other sites in the UK.

‘This is a small team within Manx Care and their hard work, knowledge of their patients and commitment has shown them to be among the best in the British Isles.’

The anticoagulation clinic offers an all-island service in a variety of settings including: Home visits; nursing homes; satellite clinics at Thie Rosien in Port Erin, Peel Medical Centre, Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital and Douglas clinic at the Day Assessment and Treatment Unit (DATU) on the Noble’s Hospital site.