Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve rates of early detection of sepsis in (a) hospitals and (b) primary care settings.

In hospitals, clinicians are supported to recognise sepsis by using the National Early Warning Score, now used in 99% of acute trusts and 100% of ambulance trusts in England. Several trusts have also implemented the National Paediatric Early Warning Score to support the recognition of sepsis in children.

NHS England has launched several training programmes aimed at improving the diagnosis and early management of sepsis in primary care. These programmes are regularly reviewed and revised with support from subject matter experts.

To support clinical staff in primary and secondary care settings, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence published updated national guidance in March 2024 on sepsis recognition, diagnosis, and early management.