Sepsis occurs when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissue and organs. The training has been delivered in clinics and departments including endoscopy, the medical day-case unit, discharge lounge, breast care centre and out-patients’ unit to name but a few.
The initiative has been praised by the Chief Executive Officer of the Sepsis Trust UK Dr Ron Daniels who hailed it as being ‘ahead of the game’.
The innovative programme was launched in July 2016 and, in the three previous months, sepsis screening for in-patients was at just one per cent. This rose to an impressive 84 per cent between October and December last year. Likewise, compliance for treating those with suspected sepsis within the 60 minute target reached 84 per cent in the last three months of 2016 - up from 60 per cent between April and June.
Carla Golding, Quality Support Nurse at Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Sepsis is extremely dangerous and kills approximately 44,000 people every year. That is why it is vital that our staff can identify the early signs of the illness and act quickly. “If you compare figures prior to the training to those in the last three months of 2016 the number of patients who were sepsis screened increased by a phenomenal rate. It is no exaggeration to say that this project has and will continue to save lives.”
The fracture clinic, respiratory nursing, occupational therapy and physiotherapy teams are also set to benefit from the programme as well as Samuel Johnson Community Hospital in Lichfield and Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital in Tamworth.
Sepsis ‘champions’ have been identified in each area to support colleagues and ensure that the training becomes embedded in every-day practice at the Trust.
For information and advice on sepsis visit:http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Blood-poisoning/Pages/Introduction.aspx