From Monday 2 September, the Trust will be implementing new and updated guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on the recognition, diagnosis, and early management of sepsis.
This new guidance proposes significant changes in the way patients with suspected sepsis are treated with antibiotics, to ensure the right people receive treatment as soon as possible.
What are the changes?
The updated guidance from NICE will facilitate more timely identification and treatment of sepsis, by ensuring those patients that are graded as being the most severely ill under a NEWS2 score will be prioritised and continue to receive broad-spectrum antibiotics within one hour.
This in turn will reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance of patients grading a lower NEWS2 score, providing colleagues time to investigate those who are less severely ill, so that they receive the right treatment.
We understand that sepsis can be difficult to diagnose, and this clear guidance should support colleagues in ensuring that our patients receive the rapid and effective treatment they need, by reinforcing sound and timely clinical judgement.
You can read the updated guidance on the NICE website.
If you have any questions about the new guidance, please email Neal Jones, Director of Patient Safety.
