Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to ensure all Trusts with secondary care services have a clinical lead for sepsis.

In line with the recommendations in the National Confidential Enquiry in Patient Outcome and Death Report, trusts should have a formal protocol for the early identification and management of sepsis and should also appoint a clinical lead for sepsis to champion best practice and take responsibility for the clinical governance of patients with sepsis. This lead should also work closely with those responsible for antimicrobial stewardship in their hospital. This role is not monitored by the Department, as the employment of appropriate staff to manage patients is the responsibility of individual National Health Service trusts. The report is available at the following link:

https://www.ncepod.org.uk/2015sepsis.html

NHS England is continuing to work to improve awareness and clinical recognition of acute deterioration and sepsis across the healthcare system. Responsibility for recognising acute deterioration falls to all healthcare workers. NHS England has launched multiple sepsis training toolkits, including training for general practitioner reception staff and trust executive boards.