Vascular nurse-led service halves treatment wait times

The service, at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, was pioneered by vascular nurse practitioner Lily Benton and received its first patients in August.

“We are incredibly proud to be able to offer this service”

Lily Benton

It focuses on symptomatic varicose veins, which are swollen or twisted veins under the skin, and venous leg ulcers, which are open, usually painful, wounds that can take weeks to heal.

The nurse-led service treats these with foam sclerotherapy, which involves foam being injected into the veins, guided by an ultrasound, which scars and seals them closed.

Since the opening of the service’s monthly patient lists, it has treated 55 legs across 42 patients with foam sclerotherapy.

It is the first nurse-led service of its kind in London, and Ms Benton said it was a labour of love for her.

“This has involved a huge amount of work, training and dedication to develop and implement a nurse-led pathway for patients who can routinely wait over a year from referral to treatment,” Ms Benton said.

“Although considered non-urgent cases, these patients live with symptoms that have a real negative impact on their day-to-day life, so we are incredibly proud to be able to offer this service.”

Waiting list times for venous leg ulcer patients at Guy’s and St Thomas’ have, according to the trust, halved from 12 weeks or more to less than six weeks as a result of the service being set up.

As well as treating varicose veins and venous leg ulcers when they present in patients, the service also uses foam sclerotherapy to prevent them from occurring for people who have had conditions such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Rui Teixeria, who suffered from DVT in his leg, received foam sclerotherapy from the nurse-led service to stop a venous leg ulcer developing.

“The whole process was quite speedy and I couldn’t ask for more,” he said.

“I was absolutely happy to be treated by a nurse as they were able to carry out the same procedure as a doctor, and I didn’t have to wait as long to have it done.”