Our Trust on World Sepsis Day 2017 - 13 September 2017
13 September 2017
Sepsis isn’t a health problem people talk about much in public – but did you know it’s responsible for more than 44,000 deaths in the UK every year? More than 250,000 people get sepsis each year too.
At the end of this article are some photographs of what our staff are doing today, on #WorldSepsisDay, to highlight how much our Trust cares about fighting sepsis.
They show our Oasis restaurant/canteen display, our fabulous midwifery staff and also the sepsis training that is going on right now in our excellent Simulation Centre.
Here are some examples of what our Trust is doing about sepsis:
- An ongoing education programme for all staff grades on sepsis recognition and treatment.
- A Trust-wide sepsis awareness campaign with posters and pocket cards.
- Sepsis sessions in the hospital simulation suite for staff to practice without real patients.
- An advanced electronic patient records system which constantly monitors vital signs and blood tests for sepsis and alerts and advises clinicians to take action.
Early recognition and treatment is absolutely vital for treating sepsis. Here is a summary of the symptoms in adults and children. Do seek care if you have these:
Symptoms in adults:
- High (above 38 degrees) or low (below 36 degrees) temperature
- Rapid heart rate
- Weak pulse
- Not passed urine in the last 12 hours
- Thirst
- Drowsiness, lethargy, confusion
- Difficulty in breathing
- Cold or mottled skin
Symptoms in children:
- High (above 38 degrees) or low (below 36 degrees) temperature
- Rapid or very slow heart rate
- Weak pulse
- Not passed urine in the last 12 hours or no wet nappies in 12 hours
- Thirst
- Drowsiness, lethargy, confusion, irritability
- Difficulty in breathing
- Cold or mottled skin