Contrary to previous estimates that 150,000 people contract sepsis every year in the UK, a new study, commissioned by The UK Sepsis Trust, has found that, in fact, there are more than 260,000 cases of sepsis in this country annually.
Of that number, it is believed that at least 44,000 people a year die of the illness.
Sepsis is a fast-moving condition, leading to blood-poisoning and organ failure that can be fatal within days. The red flag symptoms of sepsis are widely-known but it is still thought that approximately 14,000 deaths each year are due to delayed diagnosis and treatment.
The new study, undertaken by York Health Economic Consortium, reveals the devastating extent of the problem and calls for the government to ‘improve access to healthcare and the reliability of basic care’. It is estimated that this could lead to savings of up to £2.8 billion for the UK economy every year. It is currently believed that sepsis could otherwise cost the UK economy up to £15.6 billion a year in lost productivity and health costs.
There are also suggestions that the government should introduce a national sepsis registry to record key patient details to help save thousands of lives.
Dr. Ron Daniels, Chief Executive of the UK Sepsis Trust, commented that the results of the study are “a shocking new indication of the gravity and sheer scale of the problem.”
He further added that “a precise understanding of how the NHS handles sepsis is urgently required to prevent avoidable deaths, improve outcomes for survivors and save billions of pounds for the UK as a whole.”
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