The NHS must ensure that patients with life-threatening sepsis begin treatment within an hour of diagnosis, according to guidelines issued today.
The guidelines also set out how front-line workers, including GPs and paramedics, should conduct systematic checks when sepsis is suspected.
Temperature, heart rate, rashes and skin discolouration should all be recorded, according to the guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Senior hospital staff should then review "immediately" any patients identified as being at high risk – and they should get antibiotics and intravenous fluids within an hour.
GPs and ambulance staff should administer antibiotics if the patient is longer than an hour away from hospital, according to the guidance.
It has been issued after recent studies found that large numbers of patients were not getting timely treatment.
A 2015 national confidential enquiry found delays in antibiotic administration in 29% of cases – and that 40% of those admitted to hospital did not have a timely review by a senior clinician.
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt said the guidance was part of a "relentless drive" to raise awareness of sepsis.
He said: "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."
Leave a Reply