As part of the Sepsis Improvement Team, I was asked by both the Emergency Surgical Assessment Unit (ESAU) and Ambulatory Care Unit (ACU) sisters to update their front line staff mainly triage nurses about the imminent changes.
Each unit had their allocated dates and time; the weekend was best due to fewer clinics.
I fenced off an area off the main unit areas, and encouraged staff to attend in small groups for 15mins at a time.
Getting frontline staff off the floor was used to reduce any distractions.
A brief presentation on early warning score and sepsis changes was delivered with time left at the end for discussion. This is where the innovation lies.
During the first ESAU drop in session, a group of clinical support workers suggested having a sepsis tray on their triage trolleys, saving time.
The deputy sister thought this was a FAB idea and began to look at how this could be done.
I shared the FAB sepsis tray idea with ACU. In the course of their first drop in session, they took the sepsis tray idea further and suggested making up sepsis packs.
Each pack would contain blood culture bottles, routine blood bottles, IV cannulation packs, venous gas sample bottles and the current sepsis pathway. They would be made up by the clinical support workers that re-stock the triage trolleys and they would be stored in a sepsis box in the triage areas.
I shared the FAB sepsis packs idea in the second drop in session on ESAU. They in turn loved the sepsis packs.
They made up a list of what should be in the pack and included a list of the sepsis treatment (Sepsis 6)
The following day I visited and updated the unit sisters about the outcomes of the sessions.
What I found gave me such excitement; both ESAU and ACU had made up sepsis packs and were using them.
One nurse said “the packs are saving time as they are to hand”.
One deputy sister said “due to the sepsis packs our awareness to recognising and treating sepsis has intensified”.
The development of the sepsis packs is a perfect example of collaboration across divisions to improve patient care; an innovation of which I am proud to be a part.