Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce group B strep infections in newborn babies.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom uses the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ risk-based approach whereby those women identified as being at increased risk of having a baby affected by Group B streptococcus (GBS) are managed according to agreed clinical guidelines on the prevention of early on-set neonatal GBS infection.
To improve understanding, prevention, and treatment of GBS infection, the Department is supporting a trial, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. It aims to determine whether routine testing for GBS for all women, either in late pregnancy or on admission for labour with point of care testing, reduces early-onset neonatal sepsis compared to the current approach of risk-based screening.
The UK National Screening Committee (NSC) will review its recommendation considering the evidence from the trial, after the report is presented.
The UK NSC previously reviewed the evidence to screen for GBS at 35 to 37 weeks of pregnancy in 2017 and concluded that there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate that the benefits of screening would outweigh the harms. This was because the test currently available cannot accurately distinguish between those mothers whose babies are at risk and those who are not. This means that many women would unnecessarily be offered antibiotics during labour, with the balance of harms and benefits from this approach being unknown.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
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 improve awareness of the potential impact of Group B Strep on (a) pregnant women and (b) newborn children.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Practitioners are expected to take a risk-based approach to the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of group B streptococcus (GBS). Under current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance, pregnant women who are known to carry GBS, or who have risk factors such as a previous baby with GBS infection or fever during labour, should be offered antibiotics during labour to help prevent early-onset infection in their baby.
To improve understanding, prevention, and treatment of GBS infection, the Department is supporting a trial, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. It aims to determine whether routine testing for GBS for all women, either in late pregnancy or on admission for labour with point of care testing, reduces early-onset neonatal sepsis compared to the current approach of risk-based screening. Findings from the trial will be submitted to the Department and reviewed by the UK National Screening Committee to inform future decisions on national screening policy.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many deaths there have been due to sepsis in the last 24 months.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes annual data on the number of death registrations where sepsis was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, and on the number of death registrations where sepsis was specified as the underlying cause of death, in England and Wales. The number of death registrations where sepsis was specified as the underlying cause of death is a proportion of the total number of death registrations where sepsis was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate.
According to ONS, in 2023, the number of deaths registered where sepsis was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate in England and Wales was 26,203. Of this total number, there were 4,260 deaths registered where sepsis was the underlying cause of death.
ONS has not yet published the number of deaths registered where sepsis was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate for 2024. However, ONS has published data on the number of death registrations where sepsis was the underlying cause of death in England and Wales for 2024, which was 4,372.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many deaths have been reported where the cause of death was sepsis, either on its own or with other factors, each month in the past 10 years.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes annual data on the number of death registrations where sepsis was the underlying cause of death, and where sepsis was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, in England and Wales, since 2001. ONS has not yet published the number of death registrations for sepsis for 2024.
The following table shows the number of deaths registered where sepsis was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years:
Year | Number of deaths |
2014 | 22,826 |
2015 | 24,784 |
2016 | 24,973 |
2017 | 23,709 |
2018 | 23,185 |
2019 | 21,458 |
2020 | 19,324 |
2021 | 21,947 |
2022 | 25,542 |
2023 | 26,203 |
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of treatment pathways for sepsis patients in emergency departments.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Sepsis has no specific diagnostic test, and the signs and symptoms can vary hugely. As a result, sepsis can be challenging to diagnose early. It is therefore critical that all acutely unwell patients are treated promptly and appropriately regardless of cause.
Screening, diagnosis, and treatment of suspected sepsis is supported in National Health Service hospitals, including emergency departments, through the use of the National Early Warning Score (NEWS2). NEWS2 is a clinical screening tool that supports healthcare professionals to recognise acutely unwell adults at risk of deterioration, including those with sepsis. NEWS2 supports clinicians to determine the need for immediate care and is used in 99% of acute NHS 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.
To further aid clinical staff in diagnosing sepsis early, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence published updated national guidance in March 2024 on sepsis recognition, diagnosis, and early management, which staff can access alongside NHS England’s online sepsis training programmes. Additionally, the Department continues to fund research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, to improve our understanding of sepsis diagnosis and immediate management.
Treatment of sepsis in NHS hospitals relies on effective antibiotics. The Government is committed to delivering the United Kingdom’s 2024 to 2029 national action plan to confront antimicrobial resistance, to ensure that antibiotics keep working for patients with sepsis.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 improve early diagnosis of sepsis in NHS hospitals.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Sepsis has no specific diagnostic test, and the signs and symptoms can vary hugely. As a result, sepsis can be challenging to diagnose early. It is therefore critical that all acutely unwell patients are treated promptly and appropriately regardless of cause.
Screening, diagnosis, and treatment of suspected sepsis is supported in National Health Service hospitals, including emergency departments, through the use of the National Early Warning Score (NEWS2). NEWS2 is a clinical screening tool that supports healthcare professionals to recognise acutely unwell adults at risk of deterioration, including those with sepsis. NEWS2 supports clinicians to determine the need for immediate care and is used in 99% of acute NHS 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.
To further aid clinical staff in diagnosing sepsis early, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence published updated national guidance in March 2024 on sepsis recognition, diagnosis, and early management, which staff can access alongside NHS England’s online sepsis training programmes. Additionally, the Department continues to fund research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, to improve our understanding of sepsis diagnosis and immediate management.
Treatment of sepsis in NHS hospitals relies on effective antibiotics. The Government is committed to delivering the United Kingdom’s 2024 to 2029 national action plan to confront antimicrobial resistance, to ensure that antibiotics keep working for patients with sepsis.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 support research into antimicrobial resistance in relation to sepsis treatment.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Over the past five years, the NIHR has allocated over £6 million in programme funding to support research into antimicrobial resistance in relation to sepsis treatment. The funded research studies multiple aspects of sepsis treatment, including optimising treatment for sepsis and investigating the impact of antibiotics in patients with sepsis.
The Department also funds sepsis research through investment in NIHR infrastructure. For example, NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) support translational research, to move scientific discoveries toward patient benefit. The NIHR Sheffield BRC is conducting research to better understand how different blood components contribute to the development of sepsis, to improve patient outcomes and identify potential targets for new sepsis treatments.
The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including into antimicrobial resistance in relation to sepsis treatment. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. The NIHR supports translational and applied research, working closely with the life sciences industry, medical research charities, and UK Research and Innovation.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to (a) help tackle high rates of Group B Strep infection and (b) improve access to (i) screening, (ii) diagnosis and (iii) treatment for Group B Strep infections in (A) Black and (B) Asian (1) women and (2) babies.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Practitioners are expected to take a risk-based approach to the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of group B streptococcus (GBS). Under current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance, pregnant women who are known to carry GBS, or who have risk factors such as a previous baby with GBS infection or fever during labour, should be offered antibiotics during labour to help prevent early-onset infection in their baby.
People from certain ethnic groups may be predisposed to health conditions which may affect their maternity outcomes, and a study led by the UK Health Security Agency did conclude that the rate of GBS was higher in those of black or Asian ethnicity.
To improve understanding, prevention, and treatment of GBS infection, the Department is supporting a trial, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. It aims to determine whether routine testing for GBS for all women, either in late pregnancy or on admission for labour with point of care testing, reduces early-onset neonatal sepsis compared to the current approach of risk-based screening.
Findings from the trial will be submitted to the Department and reviewed by the UK National Screening Committee to inform future decisions on national screening policy.
Asked by: Lord Mackinlay of Richborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential implications for policy of the recommended Areas of Improvement of the report by the Health Services Safety Investigations Body, Sepsis: investigating under the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF), published on 26 June.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition, taken very seriously by the Government. The Government therefore welcomes the three patient safety investigation reports on sepsis, published on 26 June by the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB).
Together, the Department and NHS England are closely considering the HSSIB’s recently recommended Areas of Improvement. This will include working with stakeholders to assess implications for current policies and guidance, including reinforcing the updated Royal College of Physicians National Early Warning Score guidance, as well as implications for future policy and development.
Asked by: Lord Mackinlay of Richborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the development and implementation of a sepsis pathway, a standardised treatment plan to ensure sepsis patients receive the right care from the point at which they present their symptoms to a clinician through to receiving their diagnosis.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Sepsis has no specific diagnostic test, and the signs and symptoms can vary hugely. As a result, sepsis can be challenging to diagnose. It is therefore critical that all acutely unwell patients are treated promptly and appropriately regardless of cause. The National Early Warning Score (NEWS2) is a clinical screening tool for the recognition of acutely unwell adults, including those with sepsis. NEWS2 supports clinicians to determine the need for immediate care and is used in 99% of acute trusts and 100% of ambulance trusts in England.
To further support clinical staff and ensure unwell patients are identified promptly and are immediately started on life-saving treatment, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence published updated national guidance in March 2024 on sepsis recognition, diagnosis, and early management, which staff can access alongside NHS England’s online sepsis training programmes. Furthermore, the Department continues to fund research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, to improve our understanding of sepsis diagnosis and immediate management.