The NHS has launched a tool that for the first time accurately measures the number of patients admitted to hospital who are at risk of sepsis, which is notoriously difficult to detect.
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that claims approximately 37,000 lives a year, although the exact figure is difficult to determine. It is caused when the body responds poorly to a bacterial infection and attacks its own tissues and organs. Sepsis is notoriously difficult to spot because there is no clear diagnostic test for the condition.
For the first time, the NHS will now be able to track improvements – such as rates of survival and length of hospitals stays. Now all hospitals across England are being asked to use a tool which will allow them to identify how many patients are at risk of sepsis.