NHS workers urged to be alert for sepsis and treat within an hour

The NHS is being urged to be alert for the warning signs of sepsis, potentially fatal blood poisoning, and to treat adults or children within an hour.

New draft guidance to all health professionals, from GPs and practice nurses to hospital doctors, warns that patients can become very sick very rapidly and urges speedy review and treatment.

Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) which has produced the guidance, said: “Severe symptoms can develop in sepsis very quickly. If high-risk patients are not identified and treated promptly, people can be left with debilitating problems. In the worst cases, they may die.

“This quality standard highlights priorities in the continued fight to improve sepsis care. We know from recent case reviews that there are inconsistencies in how people’s symptoms are assessed in different settings. More can be done to provide rapid treatment.”

GPs, paramedics, A&E staff and other health professionals should know the symptoms to look for. They can include a mottled or ashen appearance, blueness about the skin, lips and tongue and a rash that does not go away when the skin is pressed.

Those at risk need to be seen by senior hospital staff and given antibiotics and fluids within an hour, says the guidance. If it will take longer than an hour to get to hospital, GPs, practice nurses and ambulance staff can give the life-saving treatment.

There are concerns that cases of sepsis, which can be caused by an infection in various parts of the body, are being missed. In 2015, an inquiry found that 40% of patients with sepsis who arrived in A&E had not been reviewed by senior doctors quickly enough. There were also avoidable delays in giving patients intravenous antibiotics in nearly a third of cases (29%).

“Every death from sepsis is a tragedy, yet too often the warning signs are missed – we need to get far better at spotting sepsis across the NHS and this advice shows how vital it is for clinicians to treat life-threatening symptoms as soon as possible,” said health secretary Jeremy Hunt.

“Our relentless drive to raise awareness of this deadly condition, as well as the tireless efforts of campaigners and families who have lost loved ones, has seen a million leaflets and posters already distributed to GP clinics, hospitals and other public places – helping raise awareness to fight against this devastating condition.”

Julie Mellor, the Parliamentary and Health Service ombudsman, said: “We are pleased Nice has produced this guidance following our recommendation to ensure faster diagnosis and treatment of sepsis, ultimately saving thousands of lives. We have seen too many cases of families who have lost their loved ones to this condition due to delays and missed warning signs.”

NHS workers urged to be alert for sepsis and treat within an hour