Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of early diagnosis of sepsis in children on patient outcomes.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government remains committed to improving the prevention, diagnosis, and management of sepsis, including in children. It is recognised that early diagnosis improves outcomes for patients with suspected sepsis.
The NHSE Paediatrics Early Warning System (PEWS) programme board was established to address difficulties with standardised early warning systems in children. It brings together a wide-ranging group of child health experts to look at how the system identifies and responds to deteriorating children in all settings and presentations.
The system to detect early deterioration in children in the in-patient setting is being implemented in 2023/24 across the country. It is named the System-wide Paediatric Observations Tracking (SPOT) as work is also underway to develop the recognition and response to deterioration across all settings, recognising that deterioration may occur in primary and community care, ambulance services, emergency departments and in hospitals.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research his Department has (a) funded and (b) commissioned on the risk of antimicrobial-resistant healthcare-acquired infections in maternity wards.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has undertaken a number of investigations, including with international and academic partners to better understand the acquisition and prevention of healthcare associated infections (HCAI), particularly around surgical site infections post-caesarean section and maternal sepsis. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds two NIHR Health Protection Research Units (HPRUs) in HCAIs and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). NIHR HPRUs are research partnerships between universities and UKHSA. One of these, led by Imperial College and UKHSA, is delivering a study on improving hospital infection prevention and control practices in neonates.
In 2016, the NIHR funded a £965,630.44 study looking at the accuracy of a rapid intrapartum test for maternal group B streptococcal colonisation and its potential to reduce antibiotic usage in mothers with risk factors. In 2018, NIHR funded research looking at AMR in neonates and neonatal nasogastric tubes through the NIHR Great Ormond Street and the Southampton Biomedical Research Centres.
Asked by: John Penrose (Conservative - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 5 December 2022 and 10 January 2023 from the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare relating to his constituent Lee Holder and that matter of Sepsis and Post Sepsis Syndrome.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
I replied to the hon. Member on 17 February 2023.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that every hospital employs a specialist in sepsis treatment.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Department works closely with NHS England and other partners in the health system to support healthcare professionals to detect and treat sepsis. However, the responsibility for decisions on employment of treatment specialists, including for sepsis, falls to individual providers of healthcare.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 help ensure that all healthcare professionals receive training on (a) diagnosing, (b) managing and (c) testing for sepsis.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
NHS England drives awareness of the identification, diagnosis and management of sepsis among healthcare professionals through a range of activities, including: promotion of the National Early Warning Score (NEW2); socialisation of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges’ recommendations on ‘the initial antimicrobial treatment of sepsis’; publication of key recommendations for improving the blood culture pathway as a vital diagnostic test for sepsis; and continued use of a Commissioning for Quality and Innovation scheme to drive recognition of sepsis in hospitals. Additionally, Health Education England has a large number of sepsis resources and training tools aimed at raising awareness of sepsis amongst healthcare professionals that are available online.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 encourage research into the (a) diagnosis and (b) management of sepsis.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Since 2017 the NIHR has funded 14 research projects on sepsis diagnosis with a combined total funding value of over £14.3 million and nine research projects on sepsis management with a combined total funding value of over £12.7 million. The NIHR Clinical Research Network Coordinating Centre, which helps patients, the public and health and care organisations to participate in high quality research, has also supported 28 studies on sepsis diagnosis and 36 studies on sepsis management since 2017.
The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including the diagnosis and management of sepsis.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of (a) diagnosis, (b) patient management, (c) requestion tests, (d) patient reviews and (e) other aspects of the management of sepsis by NHS Trusts; and if he will commission a review of deaths from sepsis to identify (i) clinical errors and (ii) best practice in the management of patients.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Department works closely with NHS England and other partners in the health system to support healthcare professionals to detect and treat sepsis. Reports of patient safety events from all trusts in the National Health Service, including on sepsis, are used by NHS England to identify new or under recognised patient safety issues, further areas of review and appropriate action required.
The Secretary of State receives Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) reports, issued by a Coroner in the event of an avoidable death, including from sepsis, outlining any clinical, administrative or policy errors. The Secretary of State has a legal duty to provide a response within 56 calendar days outlining action taken, or proposed and setting out a timetable for action. PFD reports and their responses are published online by the Chief Coroner’s Office.
The responsibility for specific assessments and reviews of sepsis management by NHS Trusts falls to local providers of healthcare.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of NICE guidelines for the treatment of sepsis.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department has no plans to assess the adequacy of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for the treatment of sepsis. NICE is an independent body, and its guidelines are based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and developed by experts through consultation with stakeholders in line with NICE’s internationally respected processes.
NICE has processes in place to review its guidance to ensure that it reflects developments in the evidence base. NICE is currently updating its guideline on ‘Suspected sepsis: recognition, diagnosis and early management’. Details of the update can be found using the following link:
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
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 implement the recommendations of the Infection Management Coalition’s Whitepaper relating to (a) improved (i) surveillance, (ii) prevention, (iii) screening, (iv) diagnosis, (v) management and (vi) reporting of infection and (b) comprehensive support for people affected by infection and their families.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Several of these recommendations are addressed through existing activities in the Government’s ‘UK 5-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance 2019 to 2024’, including improving surveillance, screening and reporting of infection; embedding infection prevention, screening, diagnosis and management of infection in healthcare settings; and providing comprehensive support for infection, including from sepsis, for patients and their families.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Integrated Care Systems will be required to set out plans to support quality improvement in how they screen and monitor for infections, including sepsis and antimicrobial-resistant infections.
Answered by Will Quince
All types of Integrated care systems are required to comply with the contractual requirements, such as the NHS Standard Contract, which set out plans to support quality improvement through monitoring and screening for infections, including sepsis and resistant infections.