NHS failure to implement nationwide child sepsis alert system is 'risking lives'

Nurses and campaigners have claimed that thousands of children have died or been left disabled because NHS chiefs have hesitated in introducing a checklist to spot sepsis, according to a recent article in the Guardian.

NHS England bosses are accused of inaction, after failing to implement a standard system to detect sepsis, a condition which affects around 25,000 UK children every year, claiming the lives of between 1,000 and 4,000 children under the age of five.

The life-threatening condition, also known as septicaemia or blood poisoning, can be triggered by an infection in any part of the body. The most common sites of infection leading to sepsis are the lungs, urinary tract, tummy (abdomen) and pelvis, according to the NHS.

Sepsis can be difficult to detect as many of its symptoms are also indicators of other illnesses, such as a high or low temperature; diarrhea; vomiting and chills and shivering.

Without immediate treatment the condition can lead to loss of limbs, heart failure and death, as the body’s immune system starts to attack organs and tissue.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have recently been urged by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) to reduce the number of child deaths by sepsis through the immediate roll out of a national alert system. The system would aim to ‘identify children whose health is deteriorating so badly that their life is at risk’.

Currently, many hospitals have their own versions of the scheme in place, while others have none.

Dame Donna Kinnair, the RCN’s chief executive, said that all hospitals in England should follow an agreed system which alerts medical staff to sepsis, due to the speed in which it can change from appearing to be a minor illness to a life-threatening condition:

“This could save lives because you are looking for those early symptoms. What we’re saying as nurses is we believe it should be a priority.

“Sepsis in a child is so sudden, you see a child go from life to death. If you see a child and an hour later they come back with sepsis that is truly devastating for any health professional. It’s really important we get a way of ensuring that we diagnose this accurately.”

Bereaved parents, the UK Sepsis Trust and children’s doctors around the country have joined the RCN’s call to implement the alert system.

Hannah Bottomley, Clinical Negligence solicitor here at Potter Rees Dolan, comments:

Sepsis can be a devastating condition which effects 25,000 children each year in the UK according to the UK Sepsis Trust. This is a staggering number of children and the fact that there is no nationally recognised alert system implemented across the UK is worrying.

It is a parent’s worst nightmare for a child to become ill and require hospital admission, however, the speed at which sepsis can lead to deterioration in children is truly terrifying. I have seen situations where children deteriorate in a matter of hours, that deterioration can lead to life changing injuries and the idea that more can be done to recognise and treat sepsis, a known condition which leads to rapid deterioration is surely something which NHS chiefs should jump at.

A delay in recognising sepsis and offering treatment can have devastating consequences for the individual child and their family, I therefore hope that a national alert system can be agreed upon and implemented to reduce the terrible consequences of sepsis occurring.

Read how our expert Clinical Negligence team secured compensation for a man whose wife died after contracting septicaemia

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Hannah Bottomley is a clinical negligence solicitor with Potter Rees Dolan. Should you have any queries about clinical negligence issues, or any aspect of this article, and wish to speak with Hannah or any other member of the team, please contact us on 0161 237 5888.