Staff Nurse Viola Jones
Shropshire’s two acute hospitals are taking the lead in the fight against a condition which claims more lives every year than breast cancer, bowel cancer and colon cancer combined.There are around 150,000 cases of Sepsis in the UK every year with, sadly, 44,000 people dying.
Sepsis arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. It leads to shock, multiple organ failure and death, especially if not recognised early and treated promptly.
But The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SATH), which runs the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the condition and try to reduce the number of deaths. Dr Edwin Borman, Medical Director at SATH, said: “Although Sepsis is relatively uncommon, it can prove fatal and patients who develop the condition can deteriorate very, very quickly.
“Sadly, in our hospitals, around four patients a month die from Sepsis, along with other cases where the patient does not reach us in time.
“We want to reduce that number and believe that we can do so by increasing awareness of the condition and improving treatment.”
This week, 110 members of staff at SATH attended an event highlighting what is known as the “Sepsis Six” – a series of measures which should be delivered within one hour of a diagnosis of Sepsis. These measures include delivering oxygen and administering antibiotics. Dr Borman said: “Anyone with early signs of a serious infection, together with one of the symptoms of sepsis should seek medical advice immediately. “If a person has two or more of a very high – or very low – temperature, a racing heartbeat, rapid shallow breathing or confusion, then they may have sepsis and should seek medical advice immediately.
“If you are coming into our hospitals and are concerned, ask a Doctor or Nurse if this could be Sepsis. It could make all the difference.”
Sepsis has been chosen as one of the areas SaTH will look at in the first year of its partnership with the Virginia Mason Institute in Seattle.The USA’s ‘Hospital of the Decade’, recognised as one of the safest in the world, is working in partnership with five NHS hospital trusts to help deliver improvements in healthcare for local people.Dr Borman said: “This is a subject that, eventually, all clinicians will be involved in and will result in us being able to save many patients’ lives.
“The Virginia Mason system involves looking carefully at every step of the way we care for our patients and encourages us to think of ways we can do this better.
“We will also be working with our partners throughout the local healthcare system to improve awareness around this condition and to make a real difference to our patients.”