New action to reduce sepsis

5 Jan 2015 03:32 PM

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced further measures to tackle sepsis, involving the NHS, government and national health bodies.

Each year, sepsis claims around 31,000 lives and costs the NHS in England about £2 billion. There are around 1,000 cases a day for children under 5.

The aim is to make tackling sepsis as important to the NHS as C. difficile and MRSA, where rates have virtually halved since 2010. It is estimated that 11,000 lives and £160 million could be saved every year through better diagnosis and treatment.

Plans include an audit of practice in every GP surgery in England by March 2015, and a new tool for GPs to diagnose sepsis among children under 5. New diagnosis and incentivised treatment goals for hospitals are also designed to help raise standards.

Plans to tackle sepsis include:

The plans are in part a response to the death of 3-year-old Sam Morrish. He died in December 2010 following delays in the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis. His parents, Scott and Susannah, now work closely with the UK Sepsis Trust to improve awareness and care relating to the condition.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said:

I want the NHS to rival the safety record of the airline industry and become the safest healthcare system in the world. There has already been good progress. We have virtually halved C. diff and MRSA infection rates in the last 4 years, saving money, but more importantly improving patient care.

Sepsis is a devastating condition that kills more than 80 people in England every day. It’s time to apply the lessons we’ve already learnt on patient safety and reduce the number of lives that are needlessly lost to this silent killer.

Dr Ron Daniels, Intensive Care consultant and Chief Executive of the UK Sepsis Trust, said:

We welcome the announcement by the Secretary of State as a major step toward saving lives and reducing the cost of caring for these critically ill patients.

Sepsis is the hidden killer which claims 31,000 lives in England every year: more than bowel cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. Rapid access to healthcare, and reliable delivery of the most basic aspects of care, can save an extra 11,000 lives every year.