Number of sepsis deaths in hospitals has increased
- 03.08.2018
- EmmaArnold
- Clinical-negligence, Clinical-negligence
The number of patients who died from sepsis has risen by more than a third in two years.
A leading safety expert found there were 15,722 deaths in England's hospitals in the year ending April 2017.
NHS England said the reason for this was that more patients were being diagnosed with sepsis than ever before as they are taking sepsis 'incredibly seriously'.
A spokesperson said how some cases previously recorded as simple infections are now classified as sepsis.
Sepsis is a rare infection which can be deadly as it can cause multiple organ failure if treatment isn't administered quick enough.
Killing up to 44,000 people each year, sepsis is one of the most common causes of death in the UK.
In recent years, medical staff have been urged to suspect sepsis in patients sooner with a increase in awareness on the infection.
Helen Budge, senior solicitor in clinical negligence at Potter Rees Dolan, said:
Such a sharp increase in deaths from sepsis is very alarming. The reasons behind this are complex and are likely to include more sepsis deaths being reported due to increasing awareness in the medical community and the problem of antibiotic resistance.
However, it is also clear that some hospitals are much better at treating sepsis than others. A short delay in commencing treatment can mean the difference between life and death and so it is crucial that all patients with suspected sepsis are put on the correct treatment pathway as quickly as possible. Sadly we still see cases where these very basic interventions are not carried out an early stage with tragic consequences.
Read more information on how to make a sepsis compensation claim on our dedicated page on the issue.
Helen Budge is a senior clinical negligence solicitor with Potter Rees Dolan. Should you have any queries about clinical negligence issues and wish to speak with Helen or any other member of the team please contact us on 0161 237 5888.