Guidance from NICE (National Institute for Health & Care Excellence) states that all healthcare professionals, no matter where they work in the NHS, need to think about the possibility of sepsis in all patients who may have had an infection.
Sepsis starts when the immune system overreacts to an infection and begins to damage the body itself which can lead to organ failure and in some instances death.
The UK Sepsis Trust estimates that there are around 150,000 cases of Sepsis in the UK every year and that it kills approximately 44,000 people each year.
Early identification and treatment is key to avoid death from sepsis. However, a report by the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death revealed that over 36% of cases delayed the identification of sepsis and that many hospitals had no formal protocols in place to recognise sepsis.
The new NICE guidelines detail the signs and symptoms of sepsis and describe what tests to use to diagnose and monitor how a patient is coping. It breaks down the symptoms based on severity and states how the patient should be treated. For further information about the new guidance from NICE please visit www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG51
If you have a query regarding Sepsis and your treatment or the treatment of a loved one please contact Robert Rose or our Clinical and Medical Negligence experts for guidance. Our team can be contacted on Freephone 0808 164 0808. Alternatively, you can complete the request a call back form and we will call you.
