Medical Negligence Experts Welcome Thorough Training For NHS Staff

Medical negligence experts at law firm Irwin Mitchell welcome new sepsis education and training proposals for NHS health and social care staff after a report shows there are “clear gaps” in training to treat those with the potentially life-threatening condition.

An analysis by Health Education England (HEE) revealed that a quarter of hospitals did not provide sepsis training across all nursing facilities.

Sepsis is a leading cause of rapid deterioration in children and occurs when the immune system goes into overdrive during an infection, killing around 44,000 people in the UK every year. 

The report also showed concerns around the lack of training in the community and social care organisations. 

Out of the 25 NHS hospitals that responded to HEE’s survey of sepsis education among different staff groups and settings, more than 90 per cent said they provided training to nurses. 

However only 78% said the training was given to nurses across all specialities within the hospital. 

For the hospital trusts where training didn’t occur, they said sepsis training was only offered in certain departments, such as emergency and critical care. 

HEE’s survey also suggests little evidence of sepsis training specifically for care home staff.

The report highlights that training materials would need to be updated over recognition; diagnosis and early management after the first sepsis guideline by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence was published in summer. 

HEE said there were “clear gaps” in the provision of sepsis education and training in England and made a total of 21 recommendations for itself, employers and others to help tackle the lack of training across all facilities. 

These recommendations include developing a guide for training providers, to ensure training reaches all healthcare staff, and for all healthcare professional undergraduate courses to include training in the recognition and management of sepsis in a clinical context within their final year, and for training materials to be updated aligned with NICE guidance. 

Sarah Coles, medical negligence expert at Irwin Mitchell, who works closely alongside UK Sepsis Trust, said: 

If you or a loved one has suffered as a result of sepsis misdiagnosis, our medical negligence claims team could help you to secure compensation. See our Sepsis Negligence Claims page for more information.