Mead family welcome calls for more urgent treatment of sepsis
The family of a one year old baby who died from sepsis after a string of NHS failings have welcomed calls for the infection to be treated with more urgency.>William Mead from Penryn died in December 2014 after contracting sepsis as a result of a chest infection. An report found that medics repeatedly failed to spot signs he'd developed the condition.>Now, the health regulator NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) says sepsis should be treated as an emergency in the same way as heart attacks.
It's prompted the organisation to release new guidance on spotting symptoms.>In new guidance the watchdog calls on health professionals to consider the possibility of sepsis in all patients who may have an infection. William's mother Melissa said she was 'delighted' with the new guidance.
KEY POINTS OF NEW GUIDANCE
Nice calls for health professionals to think about the possibility of sepsis in all patients who may have an infection.
GPs should send any patient who might have sepsis to hospital in an ambulance.
Once in hospital they should be seen by a senior doctor or nurse immediately who can start treatment.
The guidance also includes a checklist of signs and symptoms and details on what to do next.
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body's immune system goes into overdrive as it tries to fight an infection. It is often called septicaemia or blood poisoning.
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