Every year in the UK there are 150,000 cases of sepsis, resulting in a staggering 44,000 deaths – more than bowel, breast and colon cancer combined. Sepsis is the biggest direct cause of death in UK pregnancies and affects about 10,000 children every year in the UK.
A recent report by the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) emphasised the need for early recognition to saves lives.
Attendees from across the South West and West of England are gathering today at the third sepsis masterclass in Taunton with a particular focus on improving care for children and mothers with sepsis. You can follow along discussions throughout the day on Twitter using the hashtag #sepsissavvy.
The BBC programme Trust Me I’m A Doctor recently covered sepsis with some powerful stories from survivors about the impact sepsis had on their life. Here’s a clip…
NHS England has published a cross-system action plan ‘Improving outcomes for patients with sepsis’, outlining a number of actions that will be taken across the health and care landscape. This report recognised the role of Patient Safety Collaborative, part of the Academic Health Science Networks, to support local organisations to identify and spread best practice. Today’s masterclass forms part of this work.
Dr Mark Juniper, a consultant in respiratory and intensive care medicine, and Lead Clinical Co-ordinator of NCEPOD will be a speaker at today’s masterclass. Commenting on NHS England action plan, he said: “This is a really important report. If we all take action, fewer people will die from sepsis. All healthcare professionals need to be prepared to treat these patients. Improved recognition, assessment and treatment of sepsis will save lives. Reading this report and acting on its recommendations will help all of us to do this.”
Posted on February 2, 2016
