NEWS2 and Sepsis
The updated version of the National Early Warning System (NEWS2) has been adopted by NHS England and NHS Improvement. But what does this mean for sepsis?
What is NEWS?
The National Early Warning System is a scoring system used as a means of identifying patients who are acutely ill on presentation at hospital. Its aim is to ensure the prompt identification of those in need of emergency treatment.
The assessment tool measures and records six different aspects of the patient's health and combines the score to make a judgment as to the severity of their condition and their level of need.
The following factors are taken into consideration in the assessment:
- Respiration rate
- Oxygen levels
- Blood pressure
- Pulse rate
- Mental state
- Temperature
NEWS2
NEWS2 has developed and refined the original assessment tool.
Whilst NEWS2 is intended to identify all patients who are acutely ill, the tool makes the following reference to sepsis:
We recommend that sepsis should be considered in any patient with a known infection, signs or symptoms of infection, or in patients at high risk of infection, and a NEW score of 5 or more - "think sepsis".
The majority of hospitals in England have already adopted NEWS as part of their routine assessment process and it is NHS England's aim that all hospital trusts have adopted it by March 2019.
Suspecting sepsis
The on-going development of the NEWS assessment tool is part of a broader approach to increasing awareness amongst the public as well as amongst clinicians of the prevalence of sepsis and the need for an emergency response in an attempt to reduce the number of deaths form this destructive illness.
Recent comments by Celia Ingham-Clark, NHS England's Medical Director for Clinical Effectiveness, on the progress being made in the fight to tackle sepsis, observed that, since 2015, the percentage of patients receiving antibiotic treatment for sepsis within one hour of diagnosis has increased from 49% to 70% in emergency departments and from 60% to 80% for in-patients.
Medical negligence
Nonetheless, delays in diagnosis continue to occur and early symptoms of sepsis are missed, leading to shocking health outcomes for the patient even when they survive.
The message think sepsis' needs still more attention.
Speak to a solicitor
If you or a loved one are suffering the appalling impact of sepsis which could have been avoided with earlier diagnosis and treatment, contact us to discuss your experience with a specialist medical negligence solicitor.
It may be appropriate to make a claim for compensation.
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