Charity urges Government to take sepsis as seriously as strokes and heart attacks amidst record public awareness levels

National charity the UK Sepsis Trust (UKST) urges the government to re-prioritise sepsis, ensuring it is treated with the same urgency and resources as strokes and heart attacks, after a new YouGov survey commissioned by UKST has detected record public awareness levels.

According to the nationally representative omnibus survey, an impressive 94% of the 2,087 respondents are aware of sepsis, whilst 91% recognise it as a medical emergency. This is a marked increase from 76% in 2019 and baseline levels 27% in 2012, showcasing the effectiveness of the charity’s ongoing awareness campaigns.

These figures surpass public awareness levels in several other developed countries, including the United States (63%)1, and Germany (61%).

Dr Ron Daniels, Founder & Joint CEO of the UK Sepsis Trust, said: “While we’re encouraged by the high level of public awareness in the UK, which exceeds that of most other developed nations, awareness alone is not enough. It is now the responsibility of the Government to ensure our health service is equipped to respond effectively and reliably to people with sepsis of all ages. By matching this awareness with action, we can save lives and improve outcomes for the thousands of people affected the condition each year.”

While awareness that sepsis is a medical emergency has encouragingly increased, the same YouGov survey found that there is still limited understanding of the various symptoms, which differ for adults and children; only 31% of respondents said they would be confident recognising if they or someone else might have sepsis.

The YouGov survey also revealed that 45% of respondents either know someone affected by sepsis or have been personally affected by the condition. This statistic underscores the pervasive impact of sepsis on individuals and families across the UK, with 245,000 affected each year and 48,000 losing their lives to this often ‘killer’ condition.

Despite this encouraging improvement in public awareness, there remains a pressing need to enhance sepsis care within our health services. One family that knows this only too well is medically trained professionals Duaa Sidahmed and Mohammed Hassan, who lost their son Yousef to sepsis in February 2023, just after his first birthday, despite following the charity’s guidance to ‘Just Ask: Could it be Sepsis?’.

Mohammed said: “I was dismissed when I asked the doctor if it could be sepsis; so record public awareness levels are encouraging, but awareness only goes so far. Health professionals need to listen to families that raise their concerns and follow the sepsis care pathway, to prevent tragedies like the one our family has experienced.”

Duaa said: “We can’t find the words that can describe the pain of losing Yousef, or the love we have for him. We were over consumed by anger, but with the support of our family and friends, and reaching out to the UK Sepsis Trust as well, that feeling is a bit better now, but we had many moments of shock and denial. Sometimes I just can’t believe that Yousef is really gone, and I find myself calling his name or singing his favourite songs. But every day is a hard day. Everything seems to be triggering and I think we’re just trying our best to cope and accept that grief will forever be a part of us, and this is our way now to show love and remember Yousef.”

To help improve sepsis outcomes, The UK Sepsis Trust is calling for the government to:

• Measure and publish performance data on the sepsis care pathway. Reliable data are needed to understand the quality of NHS sepsis care, identify opportunities for improvement and provide targeted support where needed.
• Empower frontline decision-making with better integration of rapid diagnostics. There is no single test to diagnose sepsis, but diagnostics help doctors make important decisions about the types of treatment to use. Diagnostic tests are typically done in centralised laboratories, which means clinicians have to wait for the results. Time is of the essence when treating sepsis, so health professionals need access to fast and reliable tests to reduce preventable deaths.
• Raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of sepsis and signpost rehabilitation services to reduce pressures on the NHS. Empowering the public to ‘Just ask “Could it be sepsis?” can help save lives, and ensuring survivors have access to ongoing care and support will help keep them well and out of hospital.

Learn more about sepsis and its signs at the UK Sepsis Trust's website.

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