Today, 13th September 2024, marks World Sepsis Day. This is an initiative by the Global Sepsis Alliance, a non-profit charity organization with a mission to reduce worldwide burden of Sepsis.
In this article Georgia Peters, Paralegal in our Medical & Clinical Negligence department, discusses the most recent statistics from the NHS and The UK Sepsis Trust and the implications Sepsis can have for some our clients.
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition triggered by another infection - be it a viral, bacterial, fungal or parasitic infection such as pneumonia, urinary infections (UTIs), skin infections including cellulitis or an appendicitis.
When sepsis occurs, the body’s immune system goes into overdrive. The inflammatory response (a response to the underlying infection) spreads through the body in the bloodstream. This is why it is sometimes referred to as “blood poisoning”.
Once the bloodstream is affected, healthy tissue and organs can be damaged. This can lead to organ failure and septic shock, which can prove fatal.
Sepsis is a common illness. It is the primary cause of death from infection around the world and in the UK, there are around 245,000 cases of sepsis that occur each year with 48,000 sepsis related deaths each year. To put that into perspective, that is more deaths than are attributed to a heart attack or any single form of cancer. (About sepsis - The UK Sepsis Trust)
What’s more, deaths from sepsis are often preventable if the right treatment is provided at the right time. Research has shown that approximately 25% of sepsis related deaths are preventable. This means that these patients would have survived, had they received timely and appropriate treatment
To try and reduce the number of preventable deaths and ensure patients receive care when they need it, NICE Guidelines were introduced in 2016. These recommend that all patients with life-threatening sepsis symptoms should be treated within one hour of presentation.
The Guidelines that NHS staff in any setting, including GPs, paramedics and hospital doctors, should check people for specific signs that will show if their symptoms are life-threatening. Sepsis can usually be diagnosed based on simple observations such as temperature, heart rate and breathing rate, or looking for signs of rashes or skin discolouration.
As a common illness resulting in numerous preventable deaths each year, all competent medical practitioners should be able to recognise sepsis and ensure treatment is provided as a matter of urgency. A failure to recognise, diagnose and treat sepsis in a timely manner may mean there are grounds for a medical negligence compensation claim.
In August 2022, NHS Resolution reported that sepsis claims were one of the three leading types of clinical negligence claims against NHS GP’s. (CNSGP Report (resolution.nhs.uk))
There may also be grounds for a compensation claim if the patient has survived, but the hospital's negligence has caused them to suffer injuries that would have been avoided with better care.
If you, or your loved one, has suffered unnecessary injury because of negligent sepsis care, you should talk to a solicitor about the options available to you. You could be entitled to make a compensation claim.
In the event of a death, many people will not realise that their loved one may have been the victim of medical negligence. Often this is because sepsis is not listed on the death certificate, or it is listed very low down. Alternatively a patient may not be told that errors were made during the course of their care.
For more information about substandard sepsis care, we have an online guide which you can read here.
We offer a free initial conversation, where you can discuss the matter with a legal expert and see if you have grounds for a claim. To speak to our medical negligence team call 0114 266 6660, or click the contact us button to submit an online enquiry.
