On Tuesday 25 June 2019, West London Vascular and Interventional Centre (WeLVIC) hosted a grand opening of its new vascular unit at Northwick Park Hospital.

The ground-breaking centre was funded through a £1.5m grant by LNWH Charity – our largest ever. WeLVIC will provide modern, state-of-the-art facilities for vascular treatment that will enable a comprehensive and integrated vascular service, allowing patients to have consultations, scans, treatments and recovery on one day, all under the same roof.

Speaking on behalf of LNWH Charity, Vineta Bhalla, Chair of the Charitable Funds Management Committee, said:

“This new innovative vascular unit will help improve patient experience, providing a one-stop-shop for care, treatment and recovery. We are not a big charity, but we are grateful we can support cutting-edge projects such as these.”

With clinical professionals such as vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists and physicians working side-by-side in the same unit it is predicted that procedures which once had long recovery times – such as aneurysms, blood clots and deep vein thrombosis – will now see patients return home much more quickly.

Professor Martin Malina, Clinical Director for WeLVIC, stressed the importance of modernised approaches to patient treatment and care:

“The important message is that with new evolving techniques and vascular centres comprised of high tech minimally invasive procedures, patients can be discharged the next day. We need centralisation, including an integration of vascular surgery and interventional radiology into a single unit to improve patient safety and welfare.”

The event was attended by the Mayors of Brent, Ealing and Harrow, along with representatives from our local authorities and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), as well as patient representatives and guest of honour, Professor Henrik Sillesen, President of the European Vascular Society.