13.09.13
12,500 lives a year could be saved by better treatment of sepsis
Tens of thousands of people are dying of sepsis a year, many of whom could have been saved with better treatment and support, according to a landmark report by Health Service Ombudsman.
The report, published today to coincide with World Sepsis Day, focuses on ten specific cases where patients with sepsis did not get the care they needed.
The Health Service Ombudsman, Julie Mellor, said: “In the cases in our report, sadly, all patients died. In some of these cases, with better care and treatment, they may have survived. It is time for the NHS to act to save lives by improving the care of patients with sepsis.
“We have worked closely with NHS England, NICE, UK Sepsis Trust and Royal Colleges to find solutions to the issues identified in our report. NICE and NHS England have already agreed to take forward the recommendations of our report. We know it is not easy to spot the early signs of sepsis, but if we learn from these complaints and work to improve diagnosis and provide rapid treatment, then lives can be saved.”
Sepsis accounts for 100,000 hospital admissions a year, with an average cost of about £20,000 for each case. Around 37,000 patients die of sepsis each year, often caused by pneumonia, bowel perforation, urinary infection, and severe skin infections.
The Ombudsman’s report notes a series of worrying shortcomings in care that need to be examined, including:
- lack of timely history and examination (including adequate nurse triage) on presentation
- lack of necessary investigations
- failure to recognise the severity of the illness
- inadequate first-line treatment with fluids and antibiotics
- delays in administering first-line treatment
- inadequate physiological monitoring of vital signs
- delay in source control of infection
- delay in senior medical input, and the lack of timely referral to critical care.
NHS England's director of patient safety, Dr Mike Durkin, praised the report and said: “We will use its findings to work with GPs and hospitals to reduce the 37,000 deaths that occur each year due to sepsis. The Patient Safety domain within NHS England has many work programmes underway and this report and guidance will help us to build on the work that is already in place to emphasise the importance of education, early detection and prompt treatment.”
Dr Ron Daniels, chair of the UK Sepsis Trust, said: “The best hospitals have achieved better outcomes from sepsis by adopting a simple set of life-saving measures, collectively known as the Sepsis 6, and ensuring that a culture of awareness around sepsis has been created.
“We now need to spread this awareness to other health professionals and to the public, and to underpin this with guidance from NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.”
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