A drive to reduce deaths from sepsis will focus on the care home sector, it was announced yesterday.
NHS England is to work with care organisations to establish best practice for the care of urinary tract infections in care homes, according to its action plan.
It is also promoting a framework that sets out good practice for managing continence and preventing infections.
There will also be a drive to increase awareness of sepsis among the public and professionals.
There will be clinical guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence next year – followed by a quality standard in 2017.
Antibiotic guidelines will also be updated to set out how they can be used to treat severe sepsis.
NHS England says there are around 123,000 cases of sepsis a year and about 37,000 deaths linked to it.
NHS England medical director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh said: “What is clear is that we all want to do better for this group of patients.
“In many cases sepsis is avoidable, and if not, it is often treatable, so we need to ensure that healthcare professionals are supported and equipped to identify and treat sepsis early.
“We have a good idea of what needs to be done and this plan aims to make things happen.”
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