AAA Screening project hosts Four Nations events

Monday, 18 July 2011
Screening Division staff working on the development of a new screening programme for Wales have hosted a Four Nations event to share good practice with similar projects across the UK.
 
The Screening Division has established a project to set up an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Screening Programme for Wales, which will invite men in their 65th year for an abdominal ultrasound scan.
 
The ultrasound will check for an abnormal abdominal aortic diameter, which could indicate the presence of an aneurysm.  Mortality from ruptured AAA is extremely high.
 
The implementation of the phased roll out for the AAA screening programme started two years ago in England and similar projects are also underway in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Wales hosted a Four Nations event to share experiences, provide mutual support and explore similarities and differences in approach across the countries.
 
Since 2009, the group have met six-monthly with Scotland and Wales hosting the last two meetings.
 
At the initial meeting the group agreed the following objectives:
 
  • To provide equity of access for AAA screening for men aged 65 and over across the UK.
  • To develop consistent quality standards, where possible, given local health care delivery processes and challenges.
  • Work towards total implementation across the UK and Ireland by 2013.
  • To monitor variations between national programmes.
  • To have UK-wide sharing of agreements for equipment. This would benefit all by ensuring consistency of technology and cost benefit.
  • To develop processes for men in the programme who move to another area in the UK.
  • To ensure that UK AAA screening programmes and associated vascular networks work to consistent standards.
 
Llywela Wilson, Programme Lead for the AAA Screening Programme in Wales, said: “Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all plan to implement their AAA screening programmes in 2012. England is on course to have full implementation by 2013.
 
“Meeting up with staff working on these projects in each nation is an invaluable opportunity to take stock of what stage everyone has reached in planning their programmes, and to share best practice and challenges that could face other nations.”
 
More information on the AAA screening programme in Wales is available at: http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/888/page/51379
 
Links:
 
Source: Public Health Wales