Top picks: 13 resources about sepsis

Summary

According to the UK Sepsis Trust, sepsis affects 245,000 people every year in the UK alone, and 48,000 people die of sepsis-related illnesses. Sepsis arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. It may lead to shock, multi-organ failure, and death – especially if not recognised early and treated promptly.

Dr Ron Daniels, Founder & Joint CEO of the UK Sepsis Trust, and Topic Lead for the hub, said: “During the Covid-19 pandemic, attention to sepsis care understandably diminished, leading to gaps in timely and effective treatment. As we emerge from the pandemic, it’s crucial to refocus our efforts on this life-threatening but often treatable condition. We’re calling on the government to commission clear and efficient pathways within the NHS, supported by integrated care boards, to ensure that suspected sepsis is taken seriously – every time – in Accident & Emergency (A&E) departments nationwide.”

At Patient Safety Learning we believe that sharing insights and learning is vital to improving outcomes and reducing harm. That's why we created the hub; to provide a space for people to come together and share their experiences, resources and good practice examples.

We have pulled together 13 useful resources about sepsis that have been shared on the hub. They include advice on recognising and managing sepsis along with educational materials.  

Content

1 THINK SEPSIS

THINK SEPSIS is a Health Education England programme aimed at improving the diagnosis and management of those with sepsis. Prompt recognition of sepsis and rapid intervention will help reduce the number of deaths occurring annually. The resources that are available on their website support the early identification and management of sepsis. It includes a film and a wide range of learning materials for primary care, secondary care and paediatrics.

2 Spotting the signs of sepsis: a series of short videos

This series of short videos (each under two minutes), produced by Patient Safety Learning in collaboration with The UK Sepsis Trust, aims to raise awareness of the key signs and symptoms of sepsis. Featuring Dr Ron Daniels, Founder and Chief Medical Officer of The UK Sepsis Trust and Topic Leader for the hub, these videos outline what to look out for across different age groups.

Videos include:

• Spotting the signs of sepsis in adults and young people
• Spotting the signs of sepsis in school-aged children
• Spotting the signs of sepsis in children under five years old

3 UK Sepsis Trust: Get Sepsis Savvy video

Five-minute video to help protect yourself and your loved ones against sepsis. 

4 Patient Safety Learning interview with double sepsis survivor, Dave Carson, and his wife Margaret

A Patient Safety Learning interview with sepsis survivor, Dave Carson, and his wife, Margaret Carson, who tell us how things have improved and what more still needs to be done for sepsis.

5 Managing deterioration using NEWS

A series of videos from NHS England Workforce, Training and Education on managing deterioration.

6 Dylan's Story (Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust)

In December 2022 Dylan Cope, a 9 year old boy, died of sepsis after being discharged from hospital. A coroner in Newport found the boy's death “would have been avoided if he had not been erroneously discharged”, and said what happened "amounts to a gross failure of basic care”. In this video from Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust, Dylan's parents explain what happened when he became unwell and deteriorated, and the how delays and failures in his care had a devastating impact. They highlight the need for compassionate responses when someone has died or suffered following failures or mistakes in care, and describe how they were engaged with following Dylan's death.

7 NHS England: Improving the blood culture pathway

NHS England’s report into blood culture practices outlines key improvement steps in the pre-analytical phase of the blood culture pathway. Through targeted recommendations to trust chief executives, clinical and pathology staff, there's an opportunity to improve the blood culture pathway, antimicrobial stewardship and patient outcomes from sepsis.

8 Spotlight on sepsis: your stories, your rights

This report from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman(PHSO) looks at some of the sepsis complaints people have brought to PHSO, to shine a light on their experiences and encourage others to let their voices be heard. It shares case summaries and guidance to help people complain and help NHS organisations understand and learn from the issues raised

9 Sepsis alert systems, mortality, and adherence in emergency departments: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Early detection and management of sepsis is an important patient safety target. This systematic review included 22 studies and examined the use of sepsis alert systems in the Emergency Department (ED) on patient outcomes. The researchers found that sepsis alert systems were associated with reduced risk of mortality and decreased length of stay, as well as increased adherence to sepsis management guidelines, such as timely administration of antibiotics.

10 Improving sepsis compliance with Human Factors interventions in a community hospital emergency room

Adherence to best practices for sepsis management at a small community hospital was below system, state and national benchmarks and affected vital indicators, including mortality. This study aimed to improve sepsis best practice compliance by implementing human factors–influenced interventions.

11 Sepsis: investigating under the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) (HSSIB, 26 June 2025)

The Health Services Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB) have published three reports that model investigation of sepsis under PSIRF, to boost local learning and help improve investigation quality across the NHS.

These three investigations explore issues associated with sepsis in healthcare settings that span GPs, hospitals, ambulance services and nursing homes. Each report examines an individual case of sepsis relating to different conditions:

• a patient with a urine infection
• a patient with abdominal pain
• a patient with diabetes and a foot infection.

12 Sepsis risks in rural communities (a short video)

This 5 minute video, produced by Patient Safety Learning in collaboration with The UK Sepsis Trust, explains the sepsis risks that need to be considered in rural communities.

Do you have a resource or story about sepsis to share? We’d love to hear about it - leave a comment below or join the hub to share your own post.